Straydes
by The Creatress
Summary: This is a medievel (wrong spelling) Kaiyako fic. The emperor had forced Miyako to marry him and she doesn't love him. But then, he gets injured BADLY in a war. IT'S FINALLY COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I hope you like this story. It's just another one of my dumb ideas. This time, it's MEDIEVAL!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!! It's also Miyaken!!! Read it even if you are not a Miyaken fan! It will also include Takari, Mimato, Taiora and AAMRN. Yes, an AAMRN. This will have Ash and Misty in it. I miss them. They'd probably be like grown-ups in this story and don't mind if some things are miss-placed in the time-line. Oh, yeah! Yolei does not wear glasses in this fic, okay? I just don't want to do all the contact lenses crap. Go ahead. Well, I'm going to be using magic in this fic, just thought I'd let you know about that. Also, I need some grammer help. Does the term 'emperorness' exist? Does 'Empressness' exist? Help. Okay, people are wondering why it's called Straydes. Well, that'll come up.  
  
  
Sincerely Rose  
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Straydes Part 1 of 1  
  
  
  
The emperor of Straydes, Ken Ichijouji, banged down the golden goblet onto a table beside his throne. "Execution!" he bellowed. The snake charmer wept as he was led away by the guards.   
  
Once they were out of the room, the emperor turned to his adviser who just happened to be a worm. (**cough**Wormmon**cough**)   
  
"That was what? The 56th most amazing show I've ever seen?" He glared at the green insect Digimon in discust. "Yeah, well, umm, uhhh . . . " Wormmon stammered.  
  
"Maybe I'll go plan the next attack, instead sitting here doing nothing," Ken growled. He started to get up, but Wormmon stopped him. "But, you already attacked a village today," Wormmon pointed out, "it was the third villiage this month."  
  
"Yeah, and I could've already planned the next four attacks, if I weren't wasting my precious time here," Ken grumbled. He was in the middle of planning another attack, but than the stupid worm had to come in, drag him to the throne room and tell him that he'd been working too hard, he needed a break and whatnot.  
  
"Everything is getting boring!" Ken exclaimed, "if you don't find someone who can actually entertain me, then I'll have to send you to execution. Understand?!" "Y-yes, sir," Wormmon stammered.  
  
Ken then noticed that the goblet was empty. "Davis!" he called. Nothing. "DAVIS!" Ken shouted. He waited for a second. Nothing yet. "DAVIS, GET YOUR ASS IN HERE RIGHT NOW, YOU WORTHLESS-!!!!"  
  
A boy with short brown hair and brown eyes rushed in with one of those big jug thingies. "Um, you called, sire?" he asked sheepishly.  
  
Ken sneered at him. "Fill. The. Goblet. With. More. Wine," Ken said, slowly, "You. Must. Always. Come. When. I. Summon. You. Or. You. Will. Have. To. Face. The. Consequences. GOT THAT?!" Ken shouted the last two words.  
  
"Yes, sir," Davis muttered. He filled the goblet up with more wine. Then, he ran out.  
  
"That's your fourth cup in the last half hour," Wormmon said to Ken, "are you sure you won't get drunk or something?" "Sure, I'm sure!" the emperor snapped.   
  
He took a sip and spit it right out. "What's wrong, your highness?" the worm asked. "Damn! This thing is non-alcholic!" Ken exclaimed, "DAVIS!!!"   
  
Davis came running in. "Yes, your emperorness?" he asked. "Wormmon, get someone to entertain me, and Davis, get me something alcholic!!" Ken instructed.   
  
"Yes, sir!" Davis said. He ran out. "Sir, there aren't anymore people left to entertain you," Wormmon said. Ken glared at him.   
  
"Didn't we capture some women from that other village we attacked today?" the emperor asked, "get me one of them! I hear that one is a spectacular dancer."   
  
"Okay, sir," Wormmon said, "your wish is my command." He almost bumped into Davis, who was bringing in more wine (alchoholic this time), on the way out.   
  
Wormmon crawled down to where the prisoners were being kept. There were six women all together. Wormmon went down to the cells they were being kept in.  
  
Actually, they were being kept in one big chamber. Wormmon had no idea why Ken didn't just lock them up in cells like he did to all the other slaves. Wormmon knocked on the door. "Come in!" a feminine voice said from the other side.   
  
Wormmon opened the door and crawled in. "I would like to see the dancer," he said. A lady with lavender coloured hair and reddish, brown eyes stepped forward.   
  
"My name is Yolei Inoue and I am the only dancer here," she said, "what do you want with me?"   
  
Wormmon recognised her voice. She was the one who had told him to come in. He looked around. Almost all the other women were huddled to together at the back of the wall.  
  
"The lord has also heard you are a good dancer and would like it if you would come down to the throne room and dance for him," he answered, "we'll provide the music and your dress."   
  
Yolei held in her breath as she thought. "Do I have a choise?" she asked. "Nope," Wormmon replied, flatly. "Fine. When do you I have to be ready?" Yolei asked. "You'll have to be ready in half an hour," Wormmon said, "a maid will come with your dress."   
  
With that, he crawled out, shutting the door behind him.   
  
Yolei sat down on her bed. A woman with brown hair came and sat down beside her.   
  
"What are you thinking about?" she asked, "I know you don't want to do this." "How do you know?" Yolei asked. "Because you are my sister," Yolei's sister, Selena(?), replied, "I know when something is wrong. You miss your friends and family. You can't stand the thought of the emperor and you are detesting every momment of this. But, maybe . . . "   
  
"Maybe what?" Yolei asked her sister. Her sisiter hesitated before answering. "Your dancing has soothed the hearts of many people before, sister," Selena answered, "it is because you love dancing and you dance with grace and beauty. You don't hate dancing and you always make people happy with your movement. Maybe you can sooth the savage beast."   
  
Selena got up. "Please think about it," she asked and left. Yolei thought about what her sister had told her. "Impossible," she declared after a minute or so.  
  
There was another knock at the door. "Come in," Yolei mumbled. A maid walked in with a white dress in her arms.   
  
In the throne room, the emperor was drinking his fifth goblet of wine. "Who is it?" he asked, "describe how the girl looks like." "Well," Wormmon started, "she has lavender hair and reddish, brown eyes."   
  
Ken eyed him. "How long is her hair?" he asked. "It's almost waist-length and kind of curly at the edges," Wormmon answered, "why?"   
  
"Sounds like the girl who will be executed tomorrow night," Ken answered. "What did she do?" Wormmon asked. "Nothing," Ken answered. "Then why is she being executed?" the worm asked. "Because I felt like sending someone to execution! Now, would you shut up?!" Ken asked.  
  
Wormmon's jaw dropped. (A.N. I know that Wormmon doesn't have a jaw to drop, but I didn't know any other way to put it.) "But, but," Wormmon sputtered, "but, your highness . . . "   
  
"Fine, if she impresses me, then she won't have to get killed," Ken interrupted. He wouldn't have normally done this, but he got the feeling that Wormmon wouldn't shut up if he didn't do it fair and square. Wormmon cheered, but shut up after the glare he got from Ken.  
  
'Oh, well,' Ken thought, 'at least he can't stop me from executing the snake charmer . . . '  
  
A man with blue hair walked in. "What is it, Joe?" Ken asked. "The dancer," Joe answered. "Send her in," Ken muttered. He stared at the goblet in his hands as the door swung open and Yolei walked in.   
  
"She looks pretty," Wormmon said. "That's what you said about the last 53 dancers and the fat lady who sung," Ken said in discust.   
  
Wormmon shrugged. Ken looked away from the goblet to take a look at the dancer. He was going to be watching her dance so what's the point not looking right now?   
  
His jaw almost dropped when he saw her. For once, the worm had been right- no, he had been wrong. She wasn't just pretty; she was gorgeos.   
  
Yolei was wearing the white gown with white roses in it. There were more roses in her lavender hair and a loose veel was hanging from the flowers. It didn't cover her face. The gown didn't touch the floor and showed her feet. She wasn't wearing slippers or anything. She held another long piece of white fabric in her hands.   
  
Unlike the other men who had seen her in the corridors, Ken wasn't dumb founded for long. The emperor got back his posture as quick as a whip and started talking.   
  
"Before you begin," he said, "I know you have been sent to execution tomorrow."   
  
Yolei took a deep breath and nodded. He took her breath away! He sat handsomely on the throne although he looked bored out of his mind.   
  
Even through all this, she still detested him. His attack had had her whole villiage in panic. Her parents died in the attack, too.   
  
"Here's the deal," Ken continued, "you totally impress me; you don't have to die. If you don't; you die. Understand?" Yolei nodded.   
  
"Now, go on," he said taking a sip from the goblet. Joe hurried out of the room.   
  
The music started and Yolei began to move. Her movement was slow and steady. "She dances devinely," Wormmon whispered to his master. Ken muttered something back.   
  
Actually, he wasn't really only watching her dance. He was really watching her face as well. As he watched her, he felt a strange desire flow through him. It warmed him all over. What was this feeling?  
  
The music slowed to a stop and Yolei also stopped dancing. She waited for his answer.   
  
Ken's eyes moved up and down her body. "Okay," he finally said, "you didn't impress me that much." Yolei closed her eyes for two seconds and opened them again.   
  
"But, you don't have to die," Ken said. "Thank you, master," she answered. "But, I'm not letting you off the hook that easy," Ken added.   
  
He watched as confusion washed over her beautiful face. "You will get tortured for one hour tomorrow for my amusement," he told her. He smiled evilly at her.   
  
Yolei nodded. "Okay," she whispered. "Now, go!" he ordered. Yolei turned around and walked out.   
  
"But, she's a lady," Wormmon wailed once Yolei was gone, "she'd die in pain!" Ken took another sip and didn't answer.   
  
Yolei walked into the chamber and sat down on her bed. There were eight of them all together. It took a while for Yolei to notice that 14 eyes were on her.   
  
"What?!" she snapped. "What did he say?" a redhead asked. Yolei looked at her. The girl seemed to be about 19 years old; two years younger than her. She had blue eyes and her hair came almost half way down her back. (A.N. Watch Princess vs. Princess! Her hair is that long.)   
  
"Who are you?" Yolei asked. "My name is Misty Waterflower," the red head answered, "Yolei Inoue, right? What happened?"   
  
Yolei sighed. "I don't have to be executed," she said looking at the carpet. "That's great!" Misty exclaimed. But then she noticed the look on Yolei's face. "There's more to it, isn't there?" she asked.   
  
Yolei nodded. "I have to get tortured for one whole hour tomorrow," she told Misty. Then she added, "for his amusement." "That's horrible," Misty said quietly, "I knew he was evil, but I never imagined that he'd be this cruel. Especially to a lady."   
  
"Well-" Yolei began. There was a knock at the door. "Come in!" Misty and Yolei said at the same time.   
  
Then they looked at eachother. All the other women were too scared to even open their mouths in this place. They smiled. Something told both girls that they were going to get along perfectly.   
  
The door swung open and a man dressed in blue and gold walked in. It was the uniform that all the emperor's men wore. There was the emperor's sign on the chest- a golden whip in three coils.   
  
The man had black hair and brown eyes. He was a bit taller than Yolei and Misty was only as tall as his shoulder.   
  
Yolei eyed him and turned to Misty. Misty was standing there starring at him. There was pain in her beautiful aqua eyes.   
  
Yolei sensed that something was up between her and the guy before them. Yolei looked at him. His eyes were locked with Misty's.   
  
He sneered for two seconds and turned to Yolei. "The Lord doesn't really like to harm 'such a beautiful creature'. You will only go through torture for twenty minutes," he said.   
  
Yolei stared at him. "A beautiful creature is what he said you were," the guy snapped, "and I don't tell lies!"   
  
He turned on his heel and walked out, slamming the door behind him. "Misty, who was that guy?!" Yolei asked.   
  
"That's Ash Ketchum," Misty replied, "he's a warrior and all that, but forget him. He does tell lies." "Why do you say that?" Yolei asked. "Forget him!" Misty snapped.   
  
Her expression softened and then, she got a michivious grin on her face and her eyes twinkled. "What?" Yolei asked, curiously. "Such a beautiful creature, eh?" Misty asked. Her smile got wider.   
  
Yolei gave her a look. "How can I love the man who murdered my family?" she asked, "have you gone nuts or something?" "I think that your sister is right," Misty said, "maybe you can and did sooth the savage beast. He reduced your torture time from one hour to twenty minutes, didn't he?"   
  
"But, that doesn't prove anything," Yolei said. She walked out to a balcony with Misty.   
  
They stared down at the villiage. It was kinda crowded. More of the emperor's men were patrolling the market square and some were bullying old men and threatening women.   
  
"For all we know," Yolei said without looking at her, "he's a rapist." "Don't talk such nonsense," Misty said, "he never did anything like that to a woman. Of course, he never showed them anymore mercy then he showed the men. They all got executed one way or another."   
  
Misty looked at the villiage for a momment. Two of the guards beat up a man in his late fourties. Misty frowned in discust and said, "I'm really confused. How can they all live like that? Very strange how there are still people in that town. You'd think by now, he'd sentenced them all to execution."   
  
Yolei nodded. "What about your family?" she asked. "My parents died when I was young," Misty replied, "my sisters took care of me, although they were annoying sometimes. My youngest, sister, Lily got kidnapped in the attack. My two older sisters, Daisey and Violet, told me to hide in the barn. I hid there and after a few minutes I heard a blood chilling scream. I recognised the voice to be Violet's. I wanted to out and see what was happening, but I relised that it was a stupid thing to do. I waited and waited. Hours passed and I finally went out. The villiage was a ghost town. There was no sight of anybody or anything- alive. I walked around, trying to find something, but I didn't know what I was looking for. Suddenly, two of his men appeared and knocked me out. I was in this exact chamber when I woke up. I learned what was going on and I just lived in fear ever since."   
  
"Fear of what?" Yolei asked, "you seem like the bravest person here-along with me, of course." Misty smiled sadly. "The pain of dieing or getting tortured is different from the pain you would feel if you lost somebody who you really care about," she said, quietly, "I felt that kind of pain when I lost my sisters. I never saw any of them. I don't know whether they're alive or dead. If someone really close dies, you feel like there's nothing to live for. I wanted to die that day I lost them. But, I remembered that somebody else is alive and I have to live for that someone. But, now I feel that that someone I had once known and loved is half dead. That he's drifting farther and farther away from me everyday . . . "   
  
Her voce trailed off and she stared at the sky with blank eyes. She suddenly snapped back into reallity and looked at Yolei. "What about your family?" Misty asked. Yolei closed her eyes.   
  
"It was only you in the barn. Me, my mom and my sisters were there," she began, "my father and brother were outside fighting the emperor's men with other men from the villiage. Somebody shot an arrow of fire. The barn got covered in flames in less than minutes. I heard my whole family and other families. Screaming, crying, begging for mercy . . . I blacked out. I woke up here, too. A few days later, my sister joined me. She said she escaped the fire, but mother and my other sister didn't. Both my father and my brother died in the fight.   
  
Misty turned back to the villiage. "I would give anything to get out of here," she said with a sigh. "Why don't you?" Yolei asked. "That would be pretty stupid," Misty said, "we're not aloud in the corridors after midnight. If we get caught, we'll have to pay. Man or woman."   
  
"That seems like the perfect time to sneak out of here," Yolei said, "after midnight. How can we get caught if nobody's awake?"   
  
"Who's said nobody's awake?" Misty asked, "the emperor doesn't have to stay in the throne room, not that he does in the day time either, but there'll be guards everywhere."   
  
"The guards don't even have self-controll," Yolei told her friend, "if they are the only things standing in my way, getting out of here should be a piece of cake."   
  
"The emperor will be out and you can never know where to find him!" Misty told her. "The castle is huge," Yolei said, "what're the chances of us running into him?"   
  
"Us?" Misty asked, "if you make it out of here alive, you can expect to see me the next day." Yolei rolled her eyes. "Besides, someone will have to warn you," Misty said, "they caught you once and they'll do it again, won't they?"   
  
"You worry too much," Yolei answered, "and I thought you were brave." She snorted and went inside. "I am so brave!" she heard Misty yell back at her, "I'm just not stupid!! There's a big, fat difference between bravery and stupidity!"  
  
Yolei smirked at her friend's out burst and sat down on her bed. She got a serious look on her face. 'If he thinks that I'm going to sit here and do nothing, he's in for a big surprise,' she thought, 'try fighting someone who'll actually fight back for once, emperor.'  
  
That night, Yolei faked her rest until she heard a clock strike midnight. She quietly got out of bed and tip-toed to the door. She wasn't wearing a night gown, because she knew it would be pretty stupid since the point was to get out of the castle.   
  
She was wearing a thin white gown with arms that came only a bit past her elbows.  
  
She tip toed down the dark hallways. The only light was a few torches, casting a dim glow in the lifeless corridors. Yolei shivered. It was so cold!  
  
She made her way down a flight of stairs and made her way through the hallways. She came to a turn and just to be on the safe side, she slowed down and tried to listen for any footsteps. Nothing . . .   
  
Suddenly, someone roughly grabbed her arm and whirled her around. Yolei spun around and came face-to-face with the emperor.  
  
The End of Part 1  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
Author's Note: I decided to add a few things. I'm going to include magic in this story. You know, the spells, curses, fortune telling, teleporting . . . Actually, I really need a way for Ken to keep an eye on her and you know that I can't make him use the monitors, 'cause they aren't invented yet, so . . .   
  
Sincerely Rose  
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Straydes Part 2 of 1  
  
  
Suddenly, someone roughly grabbed her arm and whirled her around. Yolei spun around and came face-to-face with the emperor.  
  
Yolei would've gasped if she wasn't choking on her breath or if her tongue wasn't twisted and dry. 'I'm in for it now . . . ' she thought, miserably.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Ken demanded, "I'm sure I sent somebody to your chambers to let you know that any prisoner caught in the corridors after midnight will be punished severly, man or woman."  
  
Yolei didn't know what to say so she kept quiet, but Ken squeezed her hand harder causing her to wince. "Answer me!" he ordered. Yolei nodded. "Yes," she admitted, "I did know about that rule."  
  
Ken sneered. He let go off her hand and pushed her against the wall. Yolei grabbed her hand. He had squeezed it so hard that she thought it would be less painful to just cut it off. She avoided his eyes, waiting for him to speak.  
  
But, after a minute, she didn't hear him. She began to suspect if he had left or something. She looked up and to her dismay, he was still there. But, the frown on his face had turned upside down into a smirk.  
  
A smirk. A sick smirk. A sick, evil smirk. His face was kind of darkened because of the lack of light. They were near a window, but it was cloudy out so the moon couldn't chase away the darkness that almost covered him.  
  
Even through the dark shade of black, Yolei could see the sinister look on his face. But, there was something else in his darkened eyes.  
  
A very small flicker of goodness. But, it was so tiny that if it were a flame outside, a gentle breese could blow it out. In an instant, that flicker disappeared and she once again saw the darkness and evil.  
  
She held her breath as his eyes moved all over her, once again that day. Or night or whatever it was.  
  
She tensed as he moved closer to her and leaned close. Their noses were an inch apart. He grabbed both of her arms and held her in place as his smirk grew.  
  
"Usually," he said in a low whisper, "people who break this rule get sentenced to death."   
  
Hot tears burnt her eyes. Yolei blinked them back. 'I am not going to cry,' she thought to herself, 'I will not cry infront of the enemy. I will not!' "So, I'll have to punish you," he told her.  
  
Just then, a voice ran through Yolei's head. 'RUN FOR IT!!!'  
  
Then, Yolei's stupid side took over. "You'll have to catch me first," she told him. "Huh?" Ken asked.  
  
She took off at full speed. She turned the corridor. She practically flew down a stair case and she kept running.  
  
Yolei looked behind her, expecting to see the emperor following her, but to her surprise, nobody was there. She slowed down to a stop.  
  
A thought hit her like lightning. 'Oh no,' she thought, 'what if he had informed the guards? What if they were all after her right now?' She cursed loudly.  
  
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," somebody said. Yolei turned around. Nobody was there. Somebody had said that; she hadn't imagined it. The voice sounded very much like Ken's.  
  
"W-who's th-there?" Yolei stammered. Then, someone pushed her against the wall. Yolei gasped and looked up.  
  
The emperor was standing right infront of her and he didn't look very happy. 'Oh no,' Yolei thought. She gasped as he grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her towards him.  
  
"Try that again and you'll regret it," he growled. He let go and Yolei once again made a stupid choise.  
  
She started to run away, but she had only taken a few steps when she felt something go around her ankles. Her feet flew out from underneath her and she lands hard on her stomach and hands.  
  
Yolei groaned and looked back at Ken to see him reeling in his whip. His smirked at her and walked over. "Get up," he told her. Yolei imediatley got up. She expected him to hit her or something, but he didn't.  
  
"You've got spunk. I should sentence you to death," he said, smugly, "but, this time, I'll make an acception." "Wha-?" Yolei asked, surprised, "what did you say?"  
  
He squeezed her arms again, making her wince again. "You heard exactly what I said," he growled in her ear as he leaned more closer, "consider yourself lucky. I don't make this offer to many people. But, I might change my mind, if you aren't in bed in less than fifteen minutes."   
  
He brushed back a few strands of her hair and suddenly placed a kiss on her forehead. Yolei looked at him in amazement. He let go of her arms. "Now, go!" he ordered.  
  
Yolei imediatley started to run towards her chamber.   
  
Ken watched her until she disappeared into the darkness. Then, with a whisk of his black cape, he was gone.  
  
The emperor reappeared in the throne room, on his throne. He held up his hand and the air in the middle of the room started swirl like portal.   
  
A black glass appeared right in the middle of the room. It started to glow and picture appeared on it. Ken put his hand down.  
  
Yolei was running through the corridors and he saw her enter her chamber, shutting the door behind her.  
  
Ken held his hand up again, palm facing the glass. He made a fist and the glass disappeared.  
  
'What had gotten into me?' he thought to himself. His most favourite word to use was "execution" so why didn't he sentence her to death when she disobeyed him?  
  
It was something about her that made him merciful, soft and kind . . . She made a good feeling, but a confusing one rise in him every time she was near. Just thinking about her made that emotion.  
  
Ken banged his fist on the golden throne. Even the gold cracked when he punched it. He was that strong.  
  
"I am so strong that I can even crack gold by just smacking it," he said to himself, "I am not letting a prisoner change that. I am not going to get weak! I. AM. NOT!" He punched the throne again and this time, a chunk of gold fell off.  
  
Ken smirked at it. He stepped on it and he kept pressing it against the floor until he heard it break. He lifted his foot of the chunk of stone.   
  
The gold had broken into two big pieces and lots of tiny pieces. 'That's what will become of anybody who tries to change me,' he thought to himself. He smirked again.  
  
Then, in a flash, he was gone.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"He let you go?!" Misty asked in amazement, "no way! Yolei, you have got to be making this up! The emperor is not that kind of man." "That's what I thought," Yolei said with a shrug.  
  
Yolei wasn't planning on telling Misty what had happened, but Misty suspected that something was up because Yolei was tired that morning and usually she was the first person up. Misy figured out that she must've gone somewhere and she had talked her into telling her what had happened.  
  
"I don't know what had gotten into The Lord, but you, my friend, are one lucky girl," Misty told Yolei, "are you alright? Are you sure he didn't hurt you?" She paused before adding, "are you sure it was him and not some guard?" "I'm sure," Yolei smiled.  
  
Her face grew serious. "But, you shouldn't tell anybody about my run in with him," she said, sternly, "I don't want the word to spread." Misty nodded.  
  
Just then, Selena walked up to them. "Yolei," she said, shaking her head, "you're getting tortured today? How come you never told me?" Yolei shugged. "I guess I didn't want to worry you," she said to her sister. "Will you be alright?" Selena said with concern in her voice. "I don't know," Yolei whispered.  
  
Selena and Misty looked at eachother, both with worried expressions. Yolei saw this and said, "You guys worry too much, ya know that?" Selena and Misty looked down.  
  
There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Yolei called. Five of the women ran to the back of the room, but Misty, Selena and Yolei stayed put.  
  
The door slowly opened and Wormmon crawled in. "Miss. Inoue?" he asked. "Which one?" Yolei asked. "Yolei?" Wormmon asked. "That's me," Yolei said.  
  
'He must've come up here to tell me to get ready for the torture,' Yolei thought in discust. "I came up here to tell you that the Lord has cancelled your torture," Wormmon said. "What?" Yolei asked, surprised.  
  
Wormmon shrugged. "It's the strangest thing . . . " he muttered. Misty let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that's it," Wormmon said quickly, "I gotta go." He crawled back out.  
  
"That was odd," Selena noted. Misty nodded, but Yolei didn't say anything. "This just in," she muttered to herself, "the emperor has lost it . . . "  
  
She felt a hand on her shoulder. "What are you thinking about?" Selena asked. Yolei shrugged. She picked at the blue gown she was wearing. "I don't know," she said, flatly, "I just don't know anymore."  
  
Misty looked at her with a confused expression. "You just don't know what?" she asked. She didn't know what she felt about the Emperor anymore. Yolei didn't want to reply and she didn't have to.  
  
There was another knock. "Come in," Misty sighed. The door opened and Wormmon crawled in again. "I forgot to tell you that at exactly 7:30, you are going to go to the Imerial Beach. Yes, the one that's right outside the castle. You can stay around there until 9:00."  
  
With that, he turned around, but didn't leave. "Don't try to escape," he said, suddenly, "you'll regret it." He left.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The sun was beginning to set. The sight was beautiful. There was a gold and scarlet haze over the horizen, making the water look like a diamond with shades of yellow and red.  
  
Anybody would've said that there was nobody in the water . . .   
  
The emperor looked out his window in his chamber and stared out at the ocean.  
  
Suddenly there was a splash. From beneath the water rose . . . something or someone. Ken couldn't really make out who it was. He squinted and focused.  
  
Whoever it was threw back lavender hair and ferociously shook his/her head, most likely trying to get water out of his/her eyes.  
  
It was Yolei.  
  
Ken stared at her. She dove back into the water with a small splash. She came back a momment later in a different part of the sea.  
  
He watched as the water rolled off her body and beautiful lavender hair. She looked like a mermaid, swimming in the sea at twilight.  
  
A knife of desire stabbed his heart and he once againt felt that feeling.  
  
Ken tried keep control his body which didn't really seem possible at the momment. But he did. When, he did he tore his eyes away from the window. Away from the sea. And away from 'her'.  
  
Ken sat down at his desk, obviously irritated and a bit angry. What in hell was this stupid feeling that kept rising up in him?! It was really starting to get on the emperor's nerves.  
  
That was the last draw. He HAD to have her. And god, he will. He knew just how to do it, too.  
  
**************************************************************  
  
Just at that momment, there was another knock at the door. The five women ran to the back off the room again. "Come in," Misty said.  
  
The door open and a woman in her early thirties walked in. She looked kind of young with blond hair pulled back in a bun and twinkling blue eyes. She was wearing a black dress and a white apron. She was clutching a piece of paper in her hand.  
  
"Hello, ladies," she said with a bright smile, "my name is May. I work around the Imperial Palace." "You make that sound like a good thing," Misty pointed out. May shrugged, but she didn't lose that smile of hers.  
  
"Anyways, his Emperorness has decided that it's about time that seven of you girls started doing some work around here," she told them. Misty's jaw dropped. "Work?!" she asked.  
  
"Woah!" Selena interrupted. She turned to May. "Did you say seven of us?" she asked. May nodded. "But, there are eight of us here," Selena told her.  
  
May got a confused look on her face, but it disappeared almost the instant it appeared. Her smile returned. "Well, I'm sure I can find out what's happened here," she said. She looked at the peice of paper she was holding.  
  
"Oh, I see," she said as her smile returned, "a lady named . . . Yolei Inui??" "Inoue," Selena corrected. She frowned as she examined the paper. "Oh, yes. I see. Well, she . . . She's, umm, I don't know," May said with a shrug.  
  
Misty noticed something. "Hey, there's something on the back," she informed May. "Huh?" May asked, "back?" Misty rolled her eyes and grabbed the paper away from May.  
  
She read what was on the back and her eyes went wide. "What?" Yolei asked. "Oh, yeah," May seemed to remember something, "the Emperor did scribble something at the back."   
  
Misty looked at Yolei as if she had grown another head. She looked back at the paper. She looked from the paper to Yolei and back for almost a minute. By then, Yolei was getting fed up.  
  
"Would you just read the d*** thing?!" she asked. Misty starred at Yolei and began reading.  
  
"It's tradition that no future Empress (the fiance of the Emperor; not the daughter) be a servant at the Palace. This tradition had never been broken and nobody's braking it now. So, because of this tradition, Yolei cannot be a servant because she's the next Empress. Signed, the Emperor, Ken Ichijouji."  
  
Everybody in the room turned to Yolei who was gaping at Misty. After a minute, Yolei shook her head slowly. "No."  
  
The End of Part 2  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
Konnichiwa, minna-san! The third chapter! We're here already. So, I don't really know what in the world's going to happen now. Okay, I'm not all that bright on Japanese Mythology, so I'm just going to go along with mythology from Greece. Note: Couples being happy after marriages are very rare in Greek Mythology, but don't worry. Anybody out there who lives in the villiage I invented won't get a crabby Empress. So, enjoy as much as you can. And this chapter might have lime in it. Note: I said MIGHT and LIME! Not lemon. You see, I can read lemons but I suck at writing them.  
  
- Rose Silverstein  
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Straydes Part 3 of 1  
  
  
  
  
"No," Yolei said, again. "Oh, my," Selena breathed. "No, no, no!" Yolei repeated. "It's alright," Misty said, unsurely. "No, it's not right!" Yolei snapped, "where's the justice?! He can't force me into this!"  
  
"So, if he asked you, what would you say?" May asked without smiling. "No!" Yolei shouted. "I'm sorry," May said, the smile still gone, "but I don't think that the Emperor will take 'no' for an answer."   
  
Yolei glared at her. "What is he doing right now?!" she demanded. May shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "Listen to me and listen to me carefully," Yolei growled moving closer to May, "I want to see him TODAY!" "Today, Madam?" May asked.  
  
"Yes, today," Yolei repeated. "Um, if you want to see him, I'm pretty sure that I'm not the person you'd ask," May stammered.  
  
Before, Yolei could reply, there was another knock at the door. "Come in!" Yolei shouted.  
  
The door slowly opened and in crawled Wormmon. "What do you want?!" Yolei asked.   
  
"The Lord would like to see you in the Imperial Garden tonight," Wormmon told her. All the women in the room stared at him. "The garden?" Misty questioned.  
  
Wormmon shrugged. "That's what he said. He's been acting kinda weird lately. I wonder what's up . . . " Misty's head grew ten times it's normal size when she shouted, "YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S UP!!!!!!!"  
  
"Okay," Wormmon admitted, "so, I do know what's up." Yolei growled. "I'm sorry to say that it won't matter what you girls think about this," Wormmon said with a shrug.  
  
"And why not?!" Misty demanded. "Well, first of all," Wormmon began, "it's kinda like a right he gets. What the Emperor wants, the Emperor gets. Second, it's, um, well . . . the second reason isn't much of a reason really." Yolei and Misty glared at him, making him cough up the second 'reason'.   
  
"Well, you see, none of the young women down in that villiage would be anything you can call pretty . . . " Wormmon's voice trailed off. Yolei gave him a look. "The Lord is the only person who thinks that," Wormmon said in his defense, "not me! I think they're all very beautiful! Honest!"  
  
Misty was about to say something, but Yolei spoke before her. "If that's all, you can leave," she growled. "I wish it were all, Madam," Wormmon muttered under his breath. In his usual voice he said, "I am also supposed to escort you to your new room."  
  
Yolei's jaw almost dropped. "B-but, but-" Yolei stammered. "The Master's orders," Wormmon said with a shrug. He was silently praying inside his mind that Yolei wouldn't take her anger out on him. It wasn't his fault that he got stuck delivering the horrible news. He was only supposed to be the adviser. Why couldn't Ken just get one of the servants to tell her??  
  
Yolei was about to start shouting again, but she knew that shouting wasn't going to do anything. Wormmon turned around. "Coming?" he asked without looking back at her.  
  
Yolei looked back at Misty and Selena. "Don't worry," Misty whispered, forcing a smile onto her face. Selena also smiled a fake smile. Yolei didn't bother to try. "Good-bye," she said in a hushed voice.  
  
Once, Yolei was gone, Selena broke down crying. Misty tried to comfort her, but she felt like like turning their room upside down in anger.  
  
Wormmon led Yolei through hallways and corridors and they stopped infront a room. After what seemed like hours of walking through very long corridors and climbing up lots of staircases, they stopped. Yolei was pretty sure that her room was on the other side of the castle.  
  
"This is your room," Wormmon said, avoiding her eyes. Silence. "I hope you like it," Wormmon said unsurley.  
  
Yolei opened the room without replying. She closed the door behind her. She sighed and looked around the room. Great. Now she was alone and she barely knew what to do. At least, with Misty and Selena, she had someone to talked to. "At least with them, I could've worked up some plan to bust out of here . . . " Yolei mumbled.  
  
She examined the room. The walls were painted white. There was a lavender queen-sized bed up against one of the walls. The floor was bare and not to mention hard and cold. There was a wooden closet, a dresser and a full length mirror. There was also a window with curtains.  
  
Yolei went over to the closet and opened the doors. Inside were dresses. They were very pretty and elegant, Yolei couldn't deny that.   
  
She took one out. It was a royal blue colour with full sleeves and it wouldn't cover her shoulders or her chest. It showed off her figure. The hem had little fuchsia ruffles. So, did the cuffs, the starting of the dress and there were some more little ruffles at the waist.  
  
For some reason, as she held the dress against her body and gazed at her reflection in the mirror, Yolei smiled. She didn't know why. She was supposed to be angry, but something in the room made her smile. And she didn't try to frown again, either.  
  
She hung the dress back up and shut the closet's doors.  
  
She sat down on the bed and buried her face in her hands. "Maybe," she whispered to herself, "maybe this is all just one big dream. No, a nightmare. A big, scary nightmare. Maybe I'll just wake up all of a sudden, in my own bed in my own house . . . " She pinched herself. "Ouch!" she exclaimed. It wasn't a nightmare.  
  
She sighed, layed down and closed her eyes. After a few momments, she drifted off to a dreamless sleep.  
  
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Ken paced around in circles inside his own chamber. After a while, he got tired of walking and sat down at his desk.  
  
He wondered what Yolei was doing right now. He smirked for a second. Probably sulking.  
  
His palm glowed a crimson colour. He ran his hand over his desk. Just like that, the black glass appeared on the desk and lit up.  
  
It showed him that his fiancee was asleep. Her lavender hair was spread all over the pillow, her eyes were shut tight and her arms were around the pillow pressing it against the side of her head.  
  
He watched as she moaned and moved up bit. Again, he felt that feeling stir up in him and that wave of desire washed over him.  
  
In a way, that feeling was very annoying. Not knowing what it was, made Ken a bit uncomfortable and even a little bit angry.  
  
Oh, well . . . Whatever it was, it would have to wait until tonight, when it would finally be solved.  
  
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'So,' Yolei thought, 'this is what the Imperial Gardens look like.' It was beautiful. There were flowers everywhere. Roses, primroses, tulips, daisies, violets. There was a pond and pink and white lilies were floating around in it. Around the pond were bunches of lavenders.  
  
Yolei loved lavenders. She walked over and sniffed them. She fingered one. It reminded her of her own villiage. Her heart began to ache as she remembered her family and friends.  
  
A single tear rolled down her cheek and splashed onto the lavender. Almost imediatley, five or six butterflies flew out from underneath the lavenders and flew off. "So beautiful . . . " Yolei breathed as she watched them fly away.  
  
She got up. She noticed a hedge with white roses. Actually, there were lots of hedges. Yolei relised what it was. 'A maze,' she thought to herself.  
  
Smiling, she entered it. There were lots of turns and she was almost always finding herself at a dead end.  
  
She finally found herself in the middle. There was a fountain right in the middle of the maze. The fountain was round and white. Water shot up in five places. Right in the middle, the water shot up the highest. Around it were more gentle ones.  
  
In front of the fountain was a swing set. It was white with purple and white carnations and vines running all over it.  
  
Yolei sighed and sat down. The gardens were so beautiful. She had expected them to be kinda, how should I put this, not good looking. Ugly, even.  
  
Leaning back, she closed her eyes for a few minutes. Once she opened them again, a little voice at the back of her head told her that something was about to happen. Something did happen.  
  
The emperor appeared out of nowhere. Startled, Yolei stood up. She was a bit freaked now. How in the world did he do that?! Were her eyes playing tricks on her or something?!? Yolei didn't think so.  
  
He turned to her and smiled. She was wearing a tight, black, strapless, sleevless gown. It showed off her figure very well. But it wasn't ALL black. There were big purple flowers running across the hem and at the very top. She had purple slippers on and her hair was let out. A diadem with purple jewels rested on her head. She was so beautiful.  
  
"Sit down," he said. Yolei obeyed. He walked over and sat down next to her, sitting at an angle so that he was facing her.  
  
Yolei tried to avoid his gaze and she did it very easily. "Look at me," she heard him say. Yolei slowly turned her gaze to meet his. He frowned.   
  
"How did you do that?!" Yolei blurted out. Ken looked surprised. He eyed her. "Do what?" he asked, calmly. "You just appeared out of nowhere," Yolei told him.  
  
Strumming his fingers on the handle of his sword, Ken stared at her for a second, then laughed. "What?" Yolei asked. He stopped laughing.   
  
He looked at her with a very serious expression. "Magic," he said, "black magic." Yolei gasped. "B-black magic?" she asked, bewildered. Ken nodded, proudly. "Yes," he answered.  
  
"You practice black magic?!" Yolei asked. The emperor grinned. "That's what I said," he told her. "I-isn't black m-magic e-evil?" Yolei stammered. Ken fixed her with a glare. Yolei shrank back a bit.  
  
He leaned close to her. Very close. "I am evil," he whispered into her ear, "I'm the king of evil." Yolei's heart skipped a beat. She whimpered. Almost all, or should I say ALL the courage she collected before she came down left her body.  
  
She gulped. Ken moved away from her ear. "But," he said, "that wasn't what I came here to talk about." "Then what?" Yolei asked. "Well, this is one of those cases when actions speak louder than words," he told her.  
  
Yolei got a bit scared. Was he going to hurt her or something? But surprisingly, he pressed his lips against hers.  
  
Yolei was surprised. She wanted to push him away, but soon found out that she couldn't. Her body wouldn't move the way she wanted it to. 'What's happening to me?' Yolei asked herself.  
  
She slowly began to relise the most obvious answer. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out when you've lost control of your very own body.  
  
Her eyes slowly began to drop. Anybody who saw the look on her face would think she got paralysed or something like that.  
  
Yolei did not like the situation she or her body was in. She felt her body slowly begin to grow weak. She wasn't finding any trouble breathing, but she was sure that her heart was beating much slower.  
  
She relised that she was still kissing him. God knows why she wasn't out of breath yet. She felt as if her body would just . . . die.  
  
Then, for some reason, she slowly melted into him and surrendered into the kiss. She closed her eyes and kissed him back.  
  
Her arms went around his neck and he put his arms around her waist. He slowly moved down to her neck, burrying his face in her hair as he started to give little butterfly kisses to her right ear. Her ear ring did'nt stop him from acting like a professional.  
  
Yolei moaned a bit as he went back down to her neck and onto her chest.  
  
He suddenly stopped and stood up, pulling her up with him. Yolei was still in a daze and she leaned against him for support.  
  
His arm went behind her knees and the other one went behind her back and he lifted her up.  
  
In a flash, they were gone. Yolei got a headache in two seconds and it was BAD. It was so bad that she cried out in pain. Her head felt like splitting in two. But, it went away almost as soon as it came. But, her head still hurt like hell.  
  
Yolei felt herself being layed down on something soft. She slowly relised that she was on his bed.   
  
But, who cares about where she was, her head still felt like breaking into pieces. She moaned and layed her hand on her forehead.  
  
She heard Ken chuckle. She felt him run one of his fingers down her cheek. "Yes, it will hurt for a while," he said.  
  
Suddenly, he was on top of her. He started to remove her dress.  
  
***************************************************************  
  
Yolei woke up the next morning with no clothes covering her body. She perked up at that. Then, last night began to slowly replay in her mind.  
  
She looked beside her, expecting him to still be in bed asleep. But, to her surprise nobody was there.  
  
"I might've . . . dreamed . . . everything . . . " she mumbled to herself.  
  
But, one look around the room she was in proved her very, very, VERY wrong. Her own chamber was small. But, this one. It was so damn huge!  
  
The walls of the room were all black. There was a gold and blue border along the top of the walls. It was like gold and blue vines were twisting around eachother along the top of the walls.  
  
There was a royal blue carpet on the floor. The bed was a four-poster bed and had a canopy and curtains which would hide the bed if pulled. The bed was black with a navy blue comforter. The curtains and canopy were blue with more designs of golden vines.  
  
There was a dresser. It was black and gold. I don't think I need to tell you what's black and what's gold, do I?  
  
There was a desk right beside the window. The window had black and blue curtains. The curtains were closed, shutting out the sunlight.  
  
There was a full length mirror. The frames were (A.N. Guess which colours.) black with gold and blue vines running all over it.  
  
There was a small black and gold table table next to the bed. It had candle stick on it. There was a candle. A small candle. A very small candle.  
  
Yolei noticed a piece of paper on it. She picked up the paper and read what it said.  
  
It said:  
  
Your clothes are in the closet. Put something on and stay in the room. Don't even try to escape. One of my best guards is right outside our room guarding the door.  
  
There was no signature, but Yolei knew exactly who had written the note. She knew because the person had written 'our room' instead of 'your room' or 'my room'. Of course, if he had written 'my room,' she would've known it was him.   
  
She put it back onto the table and got out of bed. "I guess I better get dressed," she said to herself. And that's exactly what she did.  
  
After she got dressed, she pulled open the curtains and stared outside. Well, at least she had a beatiful view of the ocean and she could make out part of the Imperial Gardens.  
  
Judging by the heat of the sun, she figured out that it was midday.  
  
Midday? That didn't seem right. She was always up before or at sunrise. What happened?  
  
First she loses control of her very own body in the garden, now she wakes up really late. What was happening to her?! Yolei didn't know, but she didn't like it at all.  
  
She started to wonder why she had lost control of her body in the Imperial Garden. She sighed. "I hate this," she stated.  
  
Somebody knocked on the door, startling her. "Umm . . . come in?" She sounded like she was asking a question, rather then giving someone permission to do something.  
  
Great. She didn't even sound like herself now.  
  
The door opened and in walked May. She had a tray in her hands and she had her usual bright 'let's all be happy, everyone!' kind of smile.  
  
Yolei noticed Ash standing in the doorway before the door closed. He must've been the guy guarding the door.  
  
"Good morning, my Empress!" May said in a cheery voice. She sounded like she had just won a about a million gold coins. "Don't call me that," Yolei grouched.   
  
"Well, that's true," May said, looking thoughtful for a second, "you aren't Empress until you marry the Emperor. Oh, well. Guess we'll have to go with good old fashioned 'my Lady' won't we, now?"  
  
Yolei grumbled. "Don't call me that, either," she snapped. May starred at her, then smiled. "Sorry, no can do," she said, "here. Have some lunch. You'll feel a whole lot better after that."  
  
"I'm not hungry," Yolei stated. "Well, you didn't have dinner last night," May said, "you'd better eat something or you'd faint or something. Then, I'll get the blame."  
  
Yolei was hungry. She decided that May was right. She nibbled her food away.  
  
"Well, I've got to go now, my Lady," May said, picking up the tray, "I'll be back with your dinner later on. G'bye." With that, she walked to the door, opened it and walked out without closing it.  
  
Ash grabbed the knob to close it, but . . . "Wait!" Yolei said. Ash looked up at her. "What?!" he snapped.  
  
"I have to talk to you," Yolei said to him. She walked up to him. "What?" he asked, his expression softening. "Do you know Misty?" she asked. "Misty? Misty Waterflower? Yeah, I know her," Ash replied.  
  
Yolei was sure she saw some pain in his eyes. "I know her . . . " Ash's voice trailed off. "I know this might sound like a personal question, but what kind of a relationship do you have with her?" Yolei asked.  
  
"Why do you care?" Ash asked. "Because," Yolei answered, "Misty's my friend. She's one of the only persons I can truly trust around here." Ash sighed. He looked down at the floor.  
  
"Misty and I knew eachother since we were kids," Ash began to explain, "we practically never did anything but argue, those days." He chuckled, softly. "We grew up and we, uhh, we . . . " He trailed off.  
  
"I know," Yolei said, smiling. Ash smiled. "We were supposed to get married," he told her, "but then, we got into a big fight. Not like one of our small arguements to tease eachother. This one was real. Everything is almost kind of a blur after that."  
  
He leaned against the wall and sighed. "People lose control when they're angry," he said to her. "Yeah," Yolei agreed. Ash closed his eyes. "I told her that I hated her and never wanted to see her again," he said, bitterly.  
  
"Oh, my Lord . . . " Yolei breathed. "I left the house," Ash continued, his eyes still closed, "I just kept walking away from the town until I came to Straydes. By then, my heart was killing me. I knew I would've died if I didn't do something to take my mind of my fight with her. The emperor was looking for more soldiers. I joined. Over the years I almost forgot her, until the Lord attacked my old village and captured her."  
  
"Do love her?" Yolei asked, suddenly. "Yes, with all my heart," Ash answered, "but, I blew it." "No, you didn't," Yolei argued, "she still loves you. I knew it by the way she looked at you that other day." Ash looked at her in amazement. "What should I do?" he asked. "Go to her," Yolei answered, "if you two sit a down and talk about it, I'm sure you can work things out."  
  
Ash sighed and smiled at her. "Thank you," he said, "I'll go right after my work here is finished." He closed the door.  
  
**************************************************************  
  
Yolei slipped into another gown. She had accidently spilled hot soup on the other one. May took it to get it washed.  
  
The gown she was wearing now was purple. It was silky. The straps were loose, hanging over where her arms started. It showed off her figure, but it wasn't all that tight. The skirt was loose and not so tight.  
  
She just left her hair out. It tumbled along her back. She didn't put on any slippers. The carpet was so warm and fuzzy and she like the feeling of it between her toes.  
  
Yolei looked outside the window. The moon was gasting a beautiful silver glow on the Imperial Ocean.  
  
She noticed two figures near the beach. One was one of the emperor's men. She could tell. She sqinted harder to see who the other person was. Misty! She relised that the man must be Ash.  
  
She smiled as she saw him wrap his cape around her and they kissed. They turned around and walked away from the beach and back into the castle.  
  
Yolei sighed, happily. "Be happy, Misty," she whispered. She stared out at the ocean. At least, Misty was happy now. Ash and Misty had always had arguements to tease eachother, but when one got out of control they almost lost eachother.  
  
She sighed again. Sadly this time.  
  
"Beautiful, isn't it?" a voice asked, startling her. Yolei turned around. The emperor was starring at the ocean. Yolei saw the glint of goodness in him again. His eyes weren't so dark and bitter or anything evil.  
  
"Yeah," she whispered, turning her gaze back to the ocean. "I've seen the ocean before without the moonlight," he muttered, "it looked awful. So dark and evil. But, the light of the moon changes that. It casts a glow that changes the ocean completely."  
  
Yolei was surprised. She hadn't expected him to say something like that.  
  
Yolei suddenly felt his strong hands on her bare shoulders and felt his breathing at the back of her neck.  
  
He pushed her hair over her shoulder and placed a gentle kiss at the back on her neck.  
  
The kiss sent a chill up her spine. "Wh-what did you do to me?" she asked, "in the garden? I totally lost control. What happened?"  
  
"I put a spell on you," he said, simply. She whipped around. "What?" she asked. "I put a spell on you," Ken repeated.  
  
"But, why?" Yolei asked. "You ask too much questions," he replied, "but, I'll tell you anyways. I put a spell on you that made you lose control of yourself. You were in my control. It made you weak and you lost all your energy. That's why you didn't wake up so early today. The spell and the lack of food kept you unconcious."  
  
He suddenly lifted her up and threw her onto the bed. "What are you going to do?" Yolei asked a little scared, although she knew exactly what he was going to do to her. She was getting a little sick of herself. The spell must've changed her personality. Or maybe it was the fact that he uses black magic was the thing that changed her. She didn't know what it was, but one thing is for sure. She hated her new self.   
  
Ken chuckled. Faster than a rocket, he was on top of her. His violet eyes burned into her amber ones.  
  
"Tomorrow is our wedding whether you like it or not," he said in a low voice, "listen to me, you b****! I get what I want. I wanted you and I got you. You're mine now."   
  
She was surprised. He had changed so fast that she hadn't known the difference. Yolei felt a little bravery rise inside inside her. "I'm not yours," she stated, "at least not until the wedding. Besides, marriage is supposed to be done to bring two people who love eachother together. You're just doing this because I look good."  
  
He laughed. "I just told you that I get what I want," he said, "you know what else I want?" Yolei shook her head, "no, I don't know what else you want." "I want us to not wait until the night after our wedding."  
  
Yolei went into a daze again and felt the weak feeling. She tried to move her hand, but no such luck. 'Oh, no . . . ' she thought, 'no. Not again . . . ' She whimpered and Ken chuckled.  
  
Just then, the room went pitch black.  
  
  
  
End of Chapter 1  
  
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So, what did you think?! Was it good? Review with honesty, alright? And someone can help me with the emperorness/empressness thing, please? Thanks.  
  
I think that's about it . . . Oh, yeah. Disclaimer- I do not own Digimon/Pokemon and never will. And I did make up the town of Straydes, but the Digimon Emperor rules it.  
  
Chapter 1 is exactly 32 pages!! I don't know what that is in your book, but for me that is LONG!!! VERY, VERY LONG!!!!!  
  
- Rose Silverstein 


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Second chapter!! Woopeee!! So . . . (nervous laugh) When was the last time I updated? (cowers back under the glares) I'm so sorry!  
  
Staydes is getting a new Empress. Heh, heh. Maybe the ruling will improve a bit, now. (dodges a whip, a dark ring, a spirel, an Airdramon with a spirel around it, a dark Tyranemon with a spirel and nearly gets squashed by a bunch of falling control spires) Oky, docky. Go ahead and read.  
  
  
Sincerely Rose  
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Straydes Part 4 of 2  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Through all the cheering and happiness about their wedding, the bride (and the new empress of Straydes) wasn't all that bright about the whole thing.  
  
'Great,' Yolei thought. She was now the emperor's wife. She was the wife of the man who destroyed her villiage, murdered her parents and two of her siblings and captured her and her sister. 'Yup,' Yolei thought, dryly, 'wonderful. Just wonderful.'  
  
She glanced side-ways at the emperor. He was talking to someone. She sighed and looked down.  
  
Then, someone grabbed her wrist, snapping her out of it. She looked up and smiled. Selena smiled sadly back at her sister and mouthed the words "now what?" Yolei sighed and looked back down. She didn't know what.  
  
**************************************************************  
  
The next morning . . .  
  
Yolei didn't want to open her eyes. She was so tired. But, she knew she'd have to. She couldn't just stay in bed all day. But, she could sleep a little bit longer.  
  
She moaned and cuddled up to her husband. Yup, just a bit longer, then she'd wake up and try to show her husband that she is the worst person he's picked for a bride. Yeah, that's what she'll do. She'd be as bratty as possible and he'd be glad to let her go.  
  
Inside her head, Yolei sighed. She opened her eyes a little and gazed at the pillow. 'Easier said than done,' she declared sadly. She cuddled up and went back to la-la land.  
  
********************************************  
  
2 months later . . .   
  
  
  
Yolei stared out at the ocean and sighed. She still didn't have have single plan to get out of here. She had given up. Once, she had tried to escape and she had been punished. Only then did she relise that he had meant what he had told her two months ago. 'Anybody caught in the corridors after midnight would be punished severely man or woman.' First time, she had been lucky. Second time . . . Yolei shivered.  
  
She had been thinking too much. She had a headache the size of hell, that's how she could tell. Where was the healer? She had told May to fetch her like thirty minutes ago . . .   
  
There was a knock at the door. 'Finally . . . ' Yolei thought. She went over a opened it. Yolei glared at A plump woman with silvery hair pulled back into a bun stood there. She looked a little bit nervous.   
  
"Um, I believe you sent for me?" she stuttered. Yolei's expression softened.   
  
She nodded. "Yeah," she whispered, "come inside. Please." The healer stared at her, then put on a warm smile and stepped into the room.   
  
"My name's Sara," the healer introduced herself. Yolei smiled back.   
  
"Nice to meet you," she said.  
  
"So, what seems to be the problem?" Sara asked.   
  
"Headache," Yolei answered, "I felt like throwing up all morning." Yolei thought she saw a glimmer of either triumph or amusement in Sara's eyes.   
  
"Oh," Sara said, "I see. Please, lay down." Yolei went over to the bed and lay down.  
  
Ten minutes later . . .  
  
Sara sighed and turned around. Yolei sat up in bed.   
  
"Hey, what's the matter?" she asked. Sara sighed again and looked at her with an expression of what looked like sympathy.   
  
"Hey, what's up, doc?" Sara bit her lip and turned around again.   
  
"You're pregnant."  
**********************************************************  
  
Ken stood outside the castle and watched as men marched right back into the court. He smirked, pleased at how many remained. 'The soldiers of Cloyd were weak,' he thought, 'weren't able to kill less than ten of my men.'  
  
He gave them a little prep talk and after he dismissed the soldiers, the stupid worm crawled up.   
  
"Master? News from the healer," he said. Ken frowned and cursed.   
  
"If it's about not being able to cure any of the soldiers, tell the stupid woman to just kill them or something," Ken snapped, keeping his eyes on the gardeners.  
  
"Er, no, sir, it's not that," Wormmon said.   
  
"Than what is it?!" Ken demanded, still not making eye-contact.   
  
"I cannot tell you that, sir," Wormmon said. Ken looked down at him.   
  
"What are you doing here than?" he asked.   
  
"I think that it is best if her highness tells you herself," Wormmon muttered, "I suggest you find out soon. The news is supposed to be very important."   
  
"Just tell me what it is!" Ken ordered.   
  
"I do not know what it is, sire," Wormmon said with a shrugg.  
  
Ken growled. His turned on his heel and went back into the Imperial Palace. When, he reached his room, he found the door shut. He glared at it. His eyes glowed red and the door slid open, making the empress jump at the sudden movement. His eyes went back to normal as he looked her over.  
  
She was wearing a yellow gown and was sitting on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest. She had been starring out at the ocean, until he opened the door. Now she was watching him, her eyes wide with anxiety.   
  
"So, what's so important? I heard that the healer was here," he said, annoyed.  
  
Yolei took a deep breath, but lost her nerve and turned her gaze to the hem on her gown. She heard the door shut, then a few soconds later, the matress sank a little more and she felt his hands on her shoulders.  
  
She didn't turn or meet his gaze. She felt him move his hands to her back. One of them left her back. Then the sound of metal against metal, like a knife against steel . . . He cut the back of her gown.  
  
Yolei gasped. He ran his fingers over her back. There were light red welts all over her back, barely visible, healing quickly.   
  
"You have learned your lesson, haven't you?" he asked. She nodded.   
  
"Now, you know not to hide anything from me," he said.  
  
He buried his face into her hair and breathed deeply. Yolei loved the feeling, but now she knew she had to tell him. Afraid of what his reaction might be, she took a deep breath and said, "I-I've got to tell you something," she stammered.  
  
He pulled her down against him onto the bed and chuckled into her the side of her neck. She liked the feeling of his breath against her neck, her face, but she knew he was more cruel than he was gentle.  
  
"You have to? Well, that's a first. But, you sound like you don't want to," he pointed out as he cradled her, "what is it?" Yolei forced herself to look into his eyes.   
  
"I'm p-pregnant," she muttered.  
  
Ken's eyes snapped open. "You're what?" he asked.   
  
"Pregnant," she answered. Faster than light, his hand met her cheek in a painful slap. Yolei whimpered as she raised her hand to her cheek. He moved on top of her.  
  
Surprisingly, he kissed her forehead, and moved down to her mouth, kissing hungrilly.   
  
"Great," he mumbled as he kissed her, "just great."   
  
"What's wrong?" she asked. She expected him to slap her again, but he just continued to his her. She gasped as he pushed her down onto the bed.  
  
***************************************************************  
  
"He's getting strong, your highness," the soldier reported.   
  
"He's always been strong," the king snapped, his eyes fixed on the goblet in his hand.   
  
"His army attacked Cloyd and returned just this morning, sire," the soldier said, "they've triumphed and Cloyd is under his own control. Why start a war with him?"  
  
The king frowned. "He should be stopped, or he'll gain control over the whole world . . . "  
  
****************************************************************  
  
Yolei sat up in bed, gasping for breath. As she panted heavily, she relised that she'd only had a nightmare. "What's wrong?" Ken asked. He stood by the window. He hadn't been sleeping. Yolei shook her head.   
  
"Nothing," she muttered, "nothing. Just a nightmare." Ken walked over and sat down infront of her.   
  
"A nightmare?" he asked, "about what?"  
  
Yolei shook her head. "It was nothing," she repeated.   
  
"You looked damn scared for it to be nothing," Ken pointed out. Yolei shook her head again.   
  
"It-it was n-nothing," she said to him. Ken looked at her, suspiciously.  
  
"Tell me what it was," Ken said in a low voice. Yolei shook her head again. He slapped her back onto the bed. She whimpered, her face buried in the pillow.   
  
"Then just tell me something that happened. Give me just one small word," he ordered.  
  
"Fire," she whimpered.   
  
"A fire?" he asked, "okay." He gently lifted her up and brushed back a few strands of hair that had fallen over her face.   
  
He kissed her forehead and whispered, "go back to sleep." She lay back down and closed her eyes.  
  
Ken went back to the window and starred out at the sea. 'I know you're planning something, Daisuke Motomiya. I know you are.' He turned around and looked back at his wife. She was sound asleep now. 'And I know how it's going to start.'  
  
******************************************************************  
  
"He's . . . planning to start a war?" TK asked. The mesenger nodded. Kari groaned.   
  
"Daisuke is always doing stupid things," the queen muttered, "he'll never win." TK turned back to the mesenger.   
  
"And he wants our help?" he asked. The mesenger nodded.   
  
"Tell him we'll help," TK said.  
  
"Yes, your highness." The messenger bowed and strode out of the room.  
  
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kari asked.   
  
"No, but Davis is a friend, right?" TK grumbled, "besides, this is the only way I can keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't die. With our help, he'll stand a chance. Him alone . . . No offence to him, but his army's sort of . . . "   
  
"Say no more," Kari interrupted.  
  
She got up off the throne and kissed his cheek. "Just be careful," she said.   
  
"Hmm," TK muttered.  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
The emperor frowned. "Let me get this straight," he said, "King Daisuke wants to start a war with me and King Takeru has aligned with him?"   
  
"Well, yes, sire," the mesenger said.   
  
"Get out of here, I'll call you when I need you," Ken ordered. The mesenger bowed and exited the room.  
  
Ken walked out onto a belcony and watched the villiage for a while. It was getting a little boring and he hadn't thought of a plan to over come the two kingdoms.  
  
Suddenly, he felt another presence right behind him. But, the emperor didn't turn around for he knew who it was.   
  
"Stop breathing so hard. I can feel it from over here," he said.   
  
"Emperor, emperor, emperor," the man said, "why be so touchy? I know about this whole war thing that Daisuke and Takeru started. I suppose you don't have a plan yet."   
  
"Get lost," came the reply.  
  
"Guess what?" the man continued, "Daisuke was stupid enough to try and fight two wars at the same time."   
  
"Huh?!" This got Ken's attention. He whipped around to face the man.  
  
The guy had blond hair, cold gray eyes and pale skin. "He declared war on me, too," he said.   
  
"I knew that he was stupid, but . . . " Ken's voice trailed off.   
  
"I never knew he was stupid enough to declare wars on two of the most power kingdoms in the world at once, either," the blond stated.  
  
Ken snorted and turned back to the villiage. "Takeru has aligned with him," the man said, "why don't we join forces and knock them both out?" Ken turned to him. Smiles formed on both of their lips.   
  
"Why not?" Ken asked.  
  
"Come to my castle tomorrow," the king said, "alright, Ken?"   
  
"Sure," the emperor replied, "I'll see you tomorrow, Draco." The king smiled and disappeared.  
  
****************************************************************  
  
Yolei was starring at roses in the garden. Unlike a few other female rulers, she found that sitting on a throne all day quite boring. She'd rather explore the palace and the gardens than do something like that. She'd mostly do all this alone, but now she had a nurse trailing along behind her where ever she went.  
  
"Do you have to come everywhere I go?" she's asked the girl when she found out.   
  
"Yes, my empress, everywhere," the girl replied, "just incase something happens to your baby."   
  
"Like what?" Yolei asked with a frown.   
  
"You are better safe than sorry, my empress," the girl said, "besides, the emperor requested this."   
  
"Did he?" Yolei asked, "then, I guess there's nothing I can do about it . . . "  
  
There was supposed to be another one, and she was supposed to join them today. 'Great,' Yolei thought, 'if one wasn't enough ordering me about . . . '  
  
"My empress, please becareful near those flowers, the thorns are sharp," the girl said. Yolei had forgotten her name, but all she can remember is that the girl was very, very careful.   
  
"Sorry, I forgot your name. What was it again?" Yolei asked.   
  
"Sora Takenouchi," the girl replied. She was older than Yolei by maybe three years.  
  
Suddenly, a girl came running up. She stopped infront of them and started panting. "Hey, sorry I'm late . . . if I am late, that is," she said. She had brown hair.   
  
"Hi, I'm Mimi Tachikawa," she said.   
  
"Hello," Yolei replied with a smile.  
  
"Mimi, you were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago," Sora snapped.   
  
"Sorry," Mimi grumbled. She turned to Yolei.   
  
"So, what're you gonna call him/her?" she asked.   
  
"I dunno . . . " Yolei answer with a shrugg, "I guess we'll see later." She smiled a bit. Sora alone was getting kind of touchy about just about everything, but having Mimi here was like having her other sister here.  
  
  
End of Part 4  
  
  
********************************************************************  
A.N. Sooo . . . what do you get when you cross a war with one side (Ken's side) having the support of Draco? A Digimon/Harry potter crossover. Here's part 5. Da war. Well, sorta . . .   
  
  
Sincerely Rose  
  
P.S. For those of you who don't know, Draco is a character from the HP series. His described as an unpleasant sort of person  
********************************************************************  
  
  
  
  
  
Straydes Part 5 of 2  
  
  
  
  
"That's perfect," Ken said. He looked over the map.   
  
"I knew you'd like it," Draco told him. Ken traced his fingers over it.   
  
"They won't suspect a thing," he muttered, "Davis' army will be sandwiched between ours."   
  
"Yes, and Takeru wouldn't be arriving at the scene for a few more hours," Draco added, "by then, we'd probably already have Davis begging for mercy." Ken chuckled.  
  
He looked out at the night sky. "By the end, he'll be joining the stars in heaven," he whispered, viciously. Draco laughed. Ken turned to him.   
  
"I'm going back to Starydes now," he announced.  
  
"Why?" Draco smirked. Ken growled.   
  
"I just want to," he snapped.   
  
"Don't growl, you're showing emotion," Draco told him, "besides . . . your wife's already pregnant?"   
  
"Yes, do you have a problem with that?" Ken asked. Draco narrowed his eyes at him.   
  
"No," he said.  
  
There was a momment of silence. "Are you just using her?" Draco asked.   
  
"No!" Ken enclaimed, whipping around to face him.   
  
"You love her, don't you?"  
  
Ken didn't say anything. After a minute, he disappeared.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
He reappeared in his own palace, in his own room. Yolei was sitting on the bed, already in her night gown, laying against the head board. She had her knees drawn up. She was starring at the floor, biting her nails and didn't notice when he came in.  
  
'She's so beautiful . . . ' he thought. Draco was right. Well, he wasn't using her. But, Draco was right about the way he felt about her. He loved her. He didn't know why he hurt her so much. 'Maybe it's just the way I am . . . ' he thought. He swore that nobody would change him. He promised himself that he wouldn't let ANTBODY change him.  
  
He was pretty sure that she hated him. For Pete's sake, he had murdered most of her family! He killed her friends. He had forced her to marry him . . .   
  
Now, he just felt depressed. He disappeared and reappeared sprawled across the bed, a bottle in his hand. He sat up and kissed her cheek.  
  
Yolei jumped a bit and turned to face him. She scrambled off the bed. "What-when did you get here?" she asked. He pulled her back down onto the bed. She was now in the same position she was in when he had come in, but she wasn't leaning against anything.  
  
"About a minute ago, but you were too busy day dreaming to notice I'd appeared out of no where like I usually do," Ken said, "doesn't that scare you anymore?"   
  
"I've grown used to it," Yolei answered. Ken shrugged and twisted the lid off. Yolei wrinkled her nose and turned away as the smell of alcohol reached her nose. Ken saw that and was imediatley on her back.  
  
"What? You don't like alcohol?" he said, sitting up and holding the bottle a little closer to her face.   
  
"No," Yolei said, turning away from him, "I don't like alcohol. In fact, I hate it." Ken chuckled into her ear. He slipped his arm around her waist.   
  
"Well, I love it," he said. And in almost a whisper, he added, "almost as much as I love you."  
  
Yolei bit down a gasp and fought the urge to break down crying.  
  
End of Chapter 2  
  
***************************************************************  
A.N. Hi, guys. This chapter was supposed to be longer with another part, but I decided to put it up anyway, because I knew people would start hating me, but it seems like u guys already started, if I took any longer. I'll have the other part out sooner, I promise. Please tell me what you think.  
  
- Rose  
**************************************************************  
  
Disclimer- I do not own Digimon. Please don't sue. 


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Wow, I'm spending more time on Straydes than any other fanfic I'm writing. It's because I've decided to finish all the fanfics I have up before I put up any new ones. So, I'm not working on the new fics that I didn't post yet. Oh, well. So much for the Kaiyako lemon I was wrote and can't put up because only the lemon part is done and the other parts of that particular fanfic isn't finished.  
  
- Rose Silverstein  
  
ps. what the hell did i just do?  
  
**************************************************************  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Straydes  
Part 6 of Chapter 3  
By Rose Silverstein  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The war had most of Straydes buisy and tension was evident in the air. Especially in the Imperial Palace.  
  
The town was busier than usual, getting ready for the war. Straydes didn't know how Davis was like, but a rumour broke out that he was almost as bad as Ken. Maybe worst.  
  
The people of Straydes weren't taking any chances. They stuck with their current emperor. Besides, it was always better to stay with a devil that you knew, than to join a devil that don't know anything about. (a/n Guess where I got the 'it was always better to stay with a devil that you knew, than to join a devil that don't know anything about' thing. it's not the exact quote though)  
  
Ken and Draco had both thought defeating Davis and TK would be easy. But, it wasn't. The first battle had occured a couple of weeks after Davis declared war on Straydes. Davis' army would've been pretty weak alone. But, TK was always there to back them up.  
  
Nobody had suspected that the war would last this long. Everybody had thought Ken and Draco would've won in just one battle. But, Davis had been smart enough not to send all of his forces out at once. Ken and Draco won most of the battles. They only lost a few.  
  
Ken was always out, fighting. And if it wasn't in the war, he'd be sparring with Draco or beating up one of his own soldiers. Of course, he never killed them like he'd usually have done.  
  
If someone saw Yolei for the first time, during this period, they would've automatically guessed that she was pregnant. It was pretty obvious now. She wasn't as slender as she used to be. Well, she'd still be slender as she was ten months ago if it weren't for her pregnancy. And Straydes knew she wasn't fat. She was just, again, pregnant.  
  
Somehow, Yolei and Draco's wife got along. Most of time. They had very different personalities.  
  
His wife was kind of pretty with brown hair and green eyes. She was almost as tall as Yolei, maybe an inch shorter. She was pretty skinny and didn't have a difficult time keeping her face sober while talking. She rarely smiled and even more rarely showed emotion.  
  
The first time, Yolei met her, they hadn't introduced themselves until they relised they didn't know eachother's names. They relised that after five minutes of talking. Draco had just said, "this is my wife," when he introduced her to Yolei.  
  
At first, the two were just acquaintances. They weren't really friends. Yolei found it very hard to call her an actual 'friend' when the only time she had smiled was when Draco introduced them. The only other time she smiled during their small conversation was when Yolei refused to eat these chocolate frogs.  
  
When she had asked Yolei why, Yolei had just told her that she was pregnant and eating something always makes her want to throw up. Of course, Yolei had some other reasons. She knew that Draco was a wizard and his wife was a witch and stuff, but she wasn't being racist or anything. It was just the name. Simply put, Yolei didn't want to eat the stuff because well, they were chocolate *frogs*!  
  
Draco's wife gave her a smirk, but she didn't say anything. But a look of amusment in her eyes made Yolei ask her what was so funny. Draco's wife had actually laughed out loud and told her that they weren't real frogs. She reduced her laughter to a small giggle, but the dumbfounded expression on Yolei's face, made her laugh all over again.  
  
When Draco's wife told Yolei her name, she was very surprised she was called that. But, Yolei decided, names never did tell much about people.  
  
Pansy Malfoy. Her maid name had been Parkinson. Tough last name. Her maid name, that is. Who knew what Malfoy meant? (A/N What does Malfoy mean? I bet it doesn't even have a meaning . . . )  
  
Though their first conversation, was dull, dull and dull because Pansy almost never smiled. The second conversation went a bit more smoothly. The third one went even smoother.   
  
In no time at all, Yolei had made a new friend.  
  
Pansy had a son who looked just like his father. Same blond hair, pale skin, silver eyes . . . His name was Cephius. Both father and son were named after conselations. Typical.  
  
At the momment, Yolei and Pansy were talking. They were in one of the rooms at Draco's castle. The room had three white couches. One with one seat, one with two seats and one with three seats. A fire blazed in the fire place. There was a pink carpet. There was a pink table in the middle with flowers on it. Actually, there were flowers everywhere in the room. On the table was also a big bowl filled with fruits which they were munching on while talking. Pansy had locked the door so that no one would disturb them.  
  
"So, what are you going to name your baby?" Pansy asked.   
  
"My sister asked me the same thing yesterday," Yolei mumbled.   
  
"Well, what?" Pansy asked.   
  
Yolei shrugged. "I don't know," she said, "Don't you think I should wait and see if it's a boy or a girl before I pick anything?"  
  
"Do what I did," Pansy said, "Pick a few names you like. And narrow the choises down to two. One name for a boy and one for a girl."  
  
"You picked the name Cephius?"  
  
"No, I didn't think of it. My mother-in-law did."  
  
"What's her name?"  
  
"Narcissa Malfoy."  
  
"What did you think of if it's a girl?" Yolei asked.  
  
"Actually . . . " Pansy said, "I had a hunch it'd be a boy."  
  
Yolei stared at her. "How?" she asked, "Did you take fortune telling classes when you were in school?"  
  
Pansy shot her a triumphant look. "As a matter of fact, yes, we did take fortune telling class. Wait, it's divinations. But, that's not how I guessed."  
  
"Then how?" Yolei asked.  
  
"Well, it's kind of been going on for a long time," Pansy said, "All the Malfoys had sons first. Maybe followed by another sibling, girl or boy, but the first one is always a boy."  
  
"That's kind of . . . " Yolei's voice trailed off.  
  
"Yeah, I wish I had a daughter," Pansy sighed, "I've always wanted one."  
  
"If you have always wanted a daughter, then why on earth did you marry Draco Malfoy?" Yolei asked.  
  
Pansy looked at her. "I had a small crush on him in school," she said slowly, "but, it passed . . . "  
  
Pansy wrinkled her forehead, trying to remember everything. She gave up and sighed. "My parents made me marry him," she said, flatly.  
  
"You mean . . . you didn't want to marry him?" Yolei asked, staring.  
  
"Yes," Pansy answered, "well, I sorta did."  
  
"I don't get it," Yolei said, shaking her head.  
  
"I DID have a crush on him, but then again, the crush passed, I was getting on with my life, then one day, my mother comes up to me and goes, 'you're marrying Draco Malfoy.'" Pansy finished off, her voice flat.  
  
They stared at eachother and burst out laughing.  
  
"And . . . and of course, I sort of didn't want to-" Pansy managed to choke out before her laughter over took her voice.  
  
Yolei stopped laughing long enough to say, "You crack me up."  
  
"I didn't mean to do that," Pansy said, still laughing a bit.  
  
"I know, I know, but you're voice was so flat. You made it sound as if it were nothing," Yolei laughed.  
  
After a few more minutes of laughing, Pansy decided to ask Yolei, "Well, what about you?"  
  
Yolei stared at her. "What about me?"  
  
"Did you fall in love and get married or is your story the same as mine?" Pansy asked, smiling a bit.  
  
"I didn't fall in love or anything like that . . . " Yolei's voice trailed off.  
  
"Your parents make you do it?" Pansy asked.  
  
Yolei sank into the couch.  
  
"What's wrong?" Pansy asked.  
  
"Can we not talk about that?" Yolei asked, "Please? My parents died about an year ago."  
  
"Oh," Pansy said, quietly.  
  
"My parents didn't make me do it," Yolei said.  
  
Pansy nodded. She opened her mouth to say something, but another voice cut her off.  
  
"Well, I'm glad you women are getting along, but, Pansy, did you have to lock the door? I walked straight into it."  
  
Draco Malfoy was standing by the window, rubbing his nose.  
  
Yolei stared at him, then at the door, then back.   
  
In a flash of blue light, the emperor joined them.  
  
Pansy noticed Yolei was looking confused.  
  
"We can apparate," she told her.  
  
"Wha-?" Yolei asked.  
  
"It means we can disappear and turn up in a different place in less than a second," Pansy explained.  
  
"Sort of like what I do," Ken added, "they can never get the blue flash."  
  
Draco scowled at him and Ken smirked in return.  
  
Yolei nodded, slowly. "Look, we have to go now, okay?" Ken asked, "It's getting late."  
  
"Okay," Yolei said. She got up along with Pansy. Ken slipped his arms around Yolei's waist.  
  
"Bye, Pansy," Yolei said.  
  
"Bye, Yolei."  
  
In a flash, Ken and Yolei were gone.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The emperor and the empress reappeared in their chamber at the Imperial Palace.   
  
Yolei had gotten used to the whole disappear and turn up somewhere else thing. The first time, it almost killed her because it had taken the Empress by total surprise. She had paniced.  
  
But, before the second time, Ken had asked her, or ordered her, to trust him and not panic and not to get tense. He told her that if she'd keep her eyes closed for the small ride, it'd help.  
  
Of course, she had still paniced a bit. But, the thrid time around, it was less painful. It got less painful every time it happened until once she went with him and she felt nothing at all.  
  
No pain, no nothing. It was as simple as blinking.  
  
The chamber was dim. A white candle which had half burnt itself out was the only light source.   
  
Outside, a full moon cast an unearthly glow on the lake. The navy blue sky was splashed with stars that looked like sparkling diamonds. A cool breeze whispered through the branches of trees as if flying around giving messages or spreading rumours. The beautiful scenery held no signs of the war.  
  
Ken imediatley flopped onto the bed and moaned. His voice was muffled because his face was crushed into the soft pillow.  
  
The white hem of Yolei's sky blue gown trailed across the carpet as she moved closer to the bed and sat down. "What's wrong?" she asked.   
  
Though, she was constantly telling herself that she did not love him, she had spent enough time with him to know that the emperor was not the kind of guy who moaned often. Especially a painful kind of moan.  
  
"Nothing," Ken answered, turning around, "I just have a huge head ache, that's all."   
  
Yolei brushed away her hair a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. She moved closer to him. She picked up his head (a/n that sounded wrong, but work with me, it's 11:56pm) and gently placed it on her lap.  
  
"What's causing your head ache?" she asked him. She began to gently massage his forehead. Ken slightly smirked. Without moving his head or the rest of his body, except his arm, he lightly touched her stomach.  
  
"I don't know," he said, "I just have it." 'It's just that I might die before this child is born,' he silently grumbled inside his head.   
  
'But, then again,' he said, 'the key word there is might. I've fought lots of wars before and I didn't get seriously injured before. This is just another war . . . '  
  
She began to run her fingers through his hair once in a while.  
  
"Anything bothering you?" she asked.  
  
"Nothing much," he mumbled, sleepily.  
  
"Nothing or nothing much?"  
  
"Nothing much."  
  
"What's bothering you?"  
  
Silence. She looked down at her husband. He was asleep.  
  
Yolei slightly giggled. And her brother and both her sisters took forever falling asleep whenever THEY had headaches. (a/n. so do i. the pain doesn't *let* me fall asleep)  
  
She moved his head onto a pillow and lay down beside him. She blew out the candle, plunging the room into darkness.  
  
She lay herself down without changing. She was too tired. After making sure that there was distance between herself and him, she let her eyes droop and soon she saw darkness equivalent to the darkness in the room.  
  
She always did that whenever she could. Make sure that there was distance between herself and him. She always convinces herself that she didn't love him.  
  
That's one of the reasons she felt like commiting suicide everyday, but never did. She was married to someone who she didn't love and probably didn't love her. She had assumed that what he had said a few nights ago was just probably something to throw her off.  
  
If that wasn't enough, she was pregnant! Of course, she cared for the baby. Any mother would care for her own child. But, the fact that this was the child of her enemy that had killed most her family and friends sickened her.  
  
So, every night, whenever she could, she always tried to put some distance between herself and him.  
  
But . . . after two minutes, enough silvery moonlight had danced through the open window to show that in her sleep, Yolei had moved closer to him.   
  
Quietly moaning in her sleep, the empress snuggled up to the emperor. He turned around, slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.  
  
The emperor and the empress couldn't be any closer to at the momment.  
  
The End of Part 6/Chapter 3  
  
***************************************************************  
Author's Note: Part seven! We are here! Oh, the glory! Now, in the last part there was this line: 'it was always better to stay with a devil that you knew, than to join a devil that don't know anything about.' Where did I get it from? WWF, sorry, WW*E* fans might know. I got that line from Vince MacMahon. Sure, he's a jackass most of the time, but that line sounded cool. It was one he used while trying to persuade the Rock to stick with the WWF (it wasn't WWE back then) during the whole EcWcW Alliance thingy. Hey, I don't know if Vince invented it, but I heard it from him.  
  
Enough about that. Onto part seven!!  
  
- Rose   
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Straydes  
Part 7/Chapter 3  
By Rose Silverstein  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Yolei walked through maze in the garden, stopping occasionally to admire the flowers. She was making her way to the center of the maze where she knew Ken was.  
  
She needed to talk to him. He had sent May to deliver a message to her. Yolei remembered the conversation she had with May word for word.  
  
~ * ~ * ~ flashback ~ * ~ * ~  
  
"What is it, May?" Yolei asked, impatiently. She folded a corner of the page she was one and snapped the romance novel shut. Yolei suddenly noticed that May wasn't wearing her usual bright smile.  
  
"I wanted to-" May stammered, "he told me to tell-" She paused. Yolei just looked at her.  
  
"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news . . . again." May shut her eyes tight. "He's leaving."  
  
Yolei looked at her and blinked two times. "Who's leaving?"  
  
"The emperor."  
  
"What?! Now? Where is he going?" Yolei paused.  
  
"When will he be back?!" she asked, finally.  
  
May opened her eyes and looked sympathetic. She licked her lips. "He said that an important battle was going to take place tomorrow night. Both he and Draco need to be there. He said they might not be back for a while."  
  
Yolei just covered her face with her hands.  
  
The news wouldn't have been too bad. He had left for other battles. This whole wouldn't have been bad *if* the doctor hadn't told her that the baby would be arriving sometime in the next three or four days. (A.N. Sounds lame? Well, work with me. *Again*. It's now 12:44am. Yes, I like to work late.)  
  
"I'm sorry," May said.  
  
* ~ * ~ * end of flashback * ~ * ~ *  
  
  
He could've made it a little better by telling her himself. She reached the middle of the maze. Not to her surprise, her husband was there. He was sitting on the swing, sharpening a dagger. For some reason, what he was doing didn't surprise her either.  
  
She walked over and sat down next to him. She waited for him to say something. He didn't even look up, but she knew that he knew that she was there.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.  
  
When she got no reply, she tried again. "Did you just find out this morning or something?" Dumb question, but she still got nothing from him.  
  
"Are you even going to talk to me?" she asked finally.  
  
He got up and what he did shocked and terrified her for a split second. He whipped the dagger right at her face. She did what came naturally. She shut her eyes and hunched back into the swing. When, the pain didn't come, she slowly opened her eyes. The dagger was sticking out of the swing only millimeters from her ear.  
  
Did he do that on purpose or did he just miss? Was he trying to kill her?  
  
Realising that she had been holding her breath all this time, she slowly started breathing again in long breaths.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him pull the dagger out. "That'll have to do," he murmered, looking down at the dagger.  
  
Yolei stared at the hole. She jumped a little and turned back to him when she felt his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Did I scare you?" he asked with a small and sly smile.  
  
"Yes," Yolei snapped. She tried to get up but he held her down. He moved over and sat down beside her. Yolei kept her angered expression and her mini-pout even when he slipped his arm around her shoulders.  
  
"I'm guessing you want to talk about tomorrow night?" he asked her.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.  
  
"Look, I'm really, really sorry," he said.  
  
Yolei just stared ahead of her and said nothing. She heard him sigh and felt the swing move as he got up.  
  
He left without a word.  
  
'Good thing I don't love him or I would be really, really ticked off instead of annoyed,' Yolei thought still staring straight ahead of her.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
TK stared at the map layed out on the table. Then, he looked up at Davis.  
  
"What do you think? Great plan, eh?" Davis asked.  
  
"It doesn't even make any sense," TK answered after a few more seconds at staring at the map.  
  
"Aww, come on," Davis said.  
  
"What the hell was going on in that pea-sized brain of yours?!" TK asked, really annoyed.  
  
"Nothing," Davis answered.  
  
"Exactly! How could you declare war on two kingdoms, both with bigger armies than your own kingdom, at the same time?!" TK asked, "it'll take a miracle for us to win this war."  
  
"Hey, you never know," Davis said, more to himself, "Miracles happen."  
  
"Oh, yeah? Name one miracle that actually *did* happen," TK challenged.  
  
"Ummm . . . " Davis said. "Wait, lemme think."  
  
TK sighed. "We can't stand here for hours while you try to think of something. We need a plan and the one on this map is really, really screwed up."  
  
Davis almost pouted. "Why? What's wrong with my plan?" he asked. He stared down at the map. "It's perfect. Especially the fire part. They'll never know what's coming."  
  
"Davis, the fire's not going to do any good. That town you're planning to set on flames is already a ghost town. Nobody's gonna get hurt and it's no use, raiding the place, because there is nothing left!" TK snapped.   
  
Davis was barely listening. He was still staring at the map in front of him. He saw a fool-proof plan but what TK saw was an ordinary map with a lot of lines criss crossing all over the place forming what looked like a messed by spider web.  
  
"This doesn't make any sense, but since we're out of time, I'll just trust you," TK said, sourly.  
  
"What if it doesn't work? Not that it won't, but-" TK cut Davis off.  
  
"Davis, if you're plan doesn't work, when we're up there," TK pointed up, "I'll kill you again for getting us killed in the first place."  
  
"We won't die!" Davis insisted.  
  
"Sure, Davis," TK said as he left the room.  
  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
Later on that night . . .   
  
Yolei was laying on the bed, trying to read the novel she had been reading earlier. But, she couldn't concentrate. She was too worried.  
  
It was winner take all in this battle. The last battle. This one would end the whole war.  
  
Yolei wanted to scream. Why in hell was she worried?! She didn't even like that bastard!  
  
Or did she?  
  
Yolei began to think about this, but a sharp pain in her stomach snapped her out of her thoughts.  
  
"Oh, God, no . . . " she murmered, shutting her eyes.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Where in hell are they?!" Ken muttered under his breath. He gripped the reins on his horse a little tighter. He was starting to get impatient. They had been waiting for hours.  
  
The sun was starting to set. A few stars had already come out. Ken rode his black horse back and forth, kind of like he was pacing, but he was just on a horse.  
  
Draco, who was on a dark brown horse which wasn't moving at all, stared at him. "Maybe they *are* there somewhere?" he asked, sarcastically.  
  
Ken turned to him. "What?" he asked.  
  
Draco laughed. "Hell," he said. Ken just looked at him.  
  
"They probably already figured out that they're going to die and probably commit suicide in a less painful way," Draco guessed, smiling evilly, "But, you know, it *was* pretty smart."  
  
Ken turned away from him. "Actually, they're only a mile away from here," he said, "should I go tell my men to start the attack from behind or do you want to wait until they get here?"  
  
Draco thought for a momment. "Perhaps they'll be more surprised when they find out that the whole army's not *infront* of them," he said, thoughtfully. Ken nodded and turned back to the direction of where the opposing army was coming from.  
  
* * * * * * * Meanwhile . . .   
  
"You called?" May stuck her head in the doorway and almost gasped. "Your highness?" she asked, hurrying over to her side.  
  
"Get the healer," Yolei gasped out. She was in so much pain.  
  
"Yes, your highness," May said, as she rushed out of the room.  
  
A few minutes later, May returned with Sara, Selina and Misty. Selina and Misty had accidently started a small fire in the kitchen. May had burst in and started yelling at Sara to get up to the master bedroom. Selina and Misty had followed, both knowing that if Ken was at war, Yolei would be the only one there.  
  
"Dear Lord, are you alright, Yolei?" Selina asked. Selina was paniced and scared at the same time. She was worried about her sister and her unborn niece or nephew.  
  
"Calm down, Yol, you're going to be fine. Everything's going to be alright," Misty said in a soothing voice.  
  
"Omigod, what's wrong with her?" May asked.  
  
Everyone in the room, including Yolei, gave May a look for that one. Could she get anymore dense?!  
  
Sara rolled her eyes. (A.N. The next few lines are going to be straight out of an old movie I saw. Almost the whole lines, but I'll change the names and stuff. You know I'm talking about, work with me.) "Selina, get hot water. Lots of it. Misty, I need you to get me some clean sheets and towels," she instructed, "May-" Sara paused for a second, but continued. "Get me a knife."  
  
The three nodded and rushed out of the room.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
"Charge!!!" Davis yelled for the fourth time since the battle began. TK heard and rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything. He plunged his sword into the heart of an opposing warrior.  
  
He was beginning to believe that they stood a chance. So far, the battle had been even. No one was better than anyone. The armies were equal. But, there was something eating away at the back of his head. A little voice was telling him that something was not right.  
  
He shrugged it off and he begun a fight with another opposing warrior. Maybe there would be a miracle and Davis' plan would pull through.  
  
TK had come into the war, thinking that the poison tipped arrows were the only Davis had thought of that would actually cause some kind of damage to Draco's men.  
  
TK stopped short, allowing his oppenent to deliver a punch to his jaw. TK just stabbed the man and watched him fall. He examined the now dead man, curiously.  
  
On the dead warrior's chest was a glistening silver snake. The rest of the uniform was mostly green.  
  
TK looked around him. The whole army was wearing green with the silver snake. That was Draco's symbol. Not one, not one single soldier, was wearing blue with the golden whip symbol.  
  
Where the hell was Ken's army?!  
  
* * * * * *  
  
"You're holding your breath. Please, don't hold your breath!" Sara said.  
  
"Listen to her, Yolei," Misty added. "Come on, breathe. That's it. Breathe. Big, long breaths."  
  
"It hurts," Yolei said in an almost whining voice.  
  
"I know, but you'll be okay," Sara said, reasurringly.  
  
"I don't believe you," Yolei said, stubbornly.  
  
"Come on," Selena said. "Don't be stubborn."  
  
Yolei didn't reply, but she calmed down a bit.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
TK on the other hand, was doing everything he can to keep himself from panicing. Something was wrong . . . Terribly wrong! Ken never backed out of a battle. Where was he? Why would he not show up for the deciding battle?  
  
*************************************************************  
Author's Ending Not: Yes, I left you all at a cliffhanger, but isn't that what most authors do? For example, J.K. Rowling finished GoF after Voldemort came back to life. Oh, well. Hey, the mort reviews I get for this chapter, the faster I'll get the other chapter done. So, please, R&R!!! 


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Author's Note: Okay, the Kaiser got hurt and everybody wants to kill me for killing him, but everybody wants to kill me for no apparent reason since he's not going to die, but everybody still probably wants to kill me 'cause I didn't get this part done fast. Seriously, how bloodthursty can someone freakin' get?!?!?!?!?  
  
btw, i don't own digimon.  
  
- Rose   
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Straydes  
  
Part 8 of Chapter 4  
  
Only one thing was going through TK's mind: Tell Davis, and get the hell out of there as soon as possible. That would mean forfeiting, but all's fair in love and war. And this, is war. Besides, wasn't that how the emperor won a lot of his wars?  
  
"Davis!" he yelled. His eyes skanned over the scene of blood, dead bodies and soldiers who were still going at it. He finally found Davis. Davis was defending himself against one of Draco's men.  
  
TK shoved his sword through the soldier's body and grabbed hold of Davis.  
  
"Have you noticed? The emperor's not around here! His men aren't anywhere either," Tk said. Davis stared at him.  
  
"Correction." TK and Davis spun around.  
  
"He's right behind you," Draco stated.  
  
TK wasn't about to be fooled, so he didn't turn around. Davis, on the other hand, looked and gasped.  
  
The group behind them was a portion of Ken's army. There were maybe five thousand men in all. They imediatley started attacking.  
  
TK spotted Ken, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of Draoc's soldiers coming at Davis. He quickly reacted by pushing Davis out of the way and plunging his sword into the soldiers torso(sp?).  
  
"We need the arrows." TK said.   
  
"But-" Davi started.  
  
"We're in trouble now! Give the signal!" TK snapped. With that, he started beating up some of soldiers from Ken's army.  
  
Davis looked at his blood stained hand. It suddenly began to glow with a bright golden light. A few seconds later, the light turned crimson.  
  
Then he thrusted his hand into the air and bright red fire balls shot up into the black sky.  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
"There's the signal," one of the twenty or so soldiers who were back behind a small fort said.  
  
They were to wait until they got the signal which told them to start shooting the poison tipped arrows. Once the arrows ran out, they were to ride back to the battle and help the rest of their army.  
  
As soon as the soldiers saw the red fire balls in the air, the lined up and got ready to shoot.  
  
"FIRE!" the captain yelled. The soldiers shot their arrows toward the place where the battle was still raging. The soldiers grabbed another arrow each as the first wave pierced through the air.  
  
* * * * * * *   
  
The arrows pierced the hearts and other organs of soldiers from opposing armies and soldiers from their own armies.  
  
The arrows made the battle more hard to fight for both sides.  
  
The soldiers had no choise, but to duck them. Draco and Ken could've done something to block the arrows, but with TK and Davis, trying to block them, their spells would need their full attention.  
  
Needless to say, it was hard to give a spell your full attention while you're fighting a winning or losing battle.  
  
Ken got right into the fight as soon as possible. He repeated the same moves over and over again. Find an opposing soldier, kill him and move onto another one.  
  
But, all of that changed once he spotted Davis. He made his way over to the king, killing some more soldiers on the way.  
  
As soon as he reached him, Ken spun him around to face him and punched him to the ground. The emperor drew his sword and was about to slice Davis' through open when he felt a burning pain right below his left shoulder.  
  
That only stopped him for a second, because the next momment his had plunged his sword into the king's torso(sp?).  
  
Ken was about to reach back to grab the arrow which was stuck in his shoulder, but everything went black.  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
  
Now, the empress could be calm and quiet. Her baby was doing the yelling and crying for her. It was amazing how fast her pain had disappeared once the child was out of her.  
  
"You know, Miyako, my dear empress, you could look a little more enthusiastic," Sara murmered. Miyako hardly heard her. All she could hear was the crying of her new born baby.  
  
Miyako closed her eyes. That had taken a lot of strength. She was so exhausted. She just wanted to close her eyes and go to sleep. There was silence for a few minutes.  
  
"Come on, Miyako, you have to get cleaned up," Miyako heard Selena say. Miyako moaned in annoyance, but she let her sister pull her up.  
  
Selena helped her to the washroom and Miyako cleaned herself up by taking a quick bath and changing into a white silky nightgown.  
  
She came back and imediatley plopped herself onto her bed. She saw two maids walk out of the room. What had they been doing here? Then, she noticed that that the sheets on the bed had been changed. She once again closed her eyes and tried to drift off to sleep.  
  
"Boy or girl?" Miyako heard Misty ask. Miyako's eyes shot open. She'd always assumed it was going to be a boy. Wasn't a male heir what everybody wanted?  
  
"It's a-" Sara's voice was cut of as another person appeared in the room.  
  
"Miyako, I-" Pansy said. She gasped when she saw the crying baby in Sara's arms. "You gave birth? How come you didn't tell me? I knew something was going on here, it's why I decided to come by for a visit."  
  
"Pansy, it's kind of hard when you're miles away and when I'm dying in pain," Miyako said with a slight smile. Pansy also smiled.  
  
"Boy or girl?" she asked.  
  
Sara smiled as she lay the baby beside the empress. Sara had washed the child and the baby was wrapped in new blankets.  
  
"It's a girl," she whispered.  
  
The child moved a little bit and opened her eyes. She stared right into her mother's eyes.  
  
Miyako stared right back into her daughter's violet eyes. Her daughter . . .  
  
Miyako was now a mother. She couldn't believe it. Before tonight, Miyako barely knew what was smart to do and what wasn't good to do. Not all of her choices had been adult-like. For example, her choice to try to escape after her marriage. That hadn't been very smart. In short, she still acted like a teenager in many ways. But, she only very recently turned nineteen years old.  
  
Miyako smiled and lightly touched her new daughter. Along with his eyes, the child had also gotten her father's navy blue hair.  
  
"So, I guess you'll be naming her Audacia then, right?" Pansy asked, remembering her conversation with Miyako about names.  
  
"Well, I'll have to wait and see what *he* thinks . . . " Miyako's voice trailed off.  
  
"Right," Pansy nodded. "Well, you look tired so I'll just let myself out. I'll come by tomorrow. See ya."  
  
Miyako smiled as Pansy disappeared.  
  
"Well, we'll also be leaving, but we'll have to take the child for the night," Sara said. "Is that alright?"  
  
Miyako nodded mutely.  
  
Sara picked up the girl and Selena blew out the candles. The three women left closing the door behind them. As soon as they left, Miyako shut her eyes and went straight to sleep.  
  
If only she'd known what was happening hospital part of the castle. If only she'd known who Sara was tending to as soon as she got there, Miyako wouldn't have been able to go to sleep.  
  
End of Part 8  
  
***************************************************************  
  
Hey, guess what! I worked on Victoria Day for you people!!!! Then, I had fun with fireworks. (smiles idioticly) Hehehe, Queen Victoria, thank you for giving Canadians, Brits and all those other counties like Austrailia and New Zealand an extra national holiday!!! Tsk, tsk, America, you should've waited until she died or something . . . Is anybody even listening? Yeah . . . Beer, beer, beer, ba ba ba, beer, beer, beer . . .   
  
- Rose   
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Straydes Part 9 of Chapter 4  
  
Miyako stared down at the emperor's face in shock. Her stomach ached and she felt weak.  
  
He was asleep and there were bandages wrapped around his chest and right shoulder.  
  
It was morning. The first thing she'd said to Selena when she'd woken up was "Where's my daughter? Is he here yet? Does he know?"  
  
"Well . . . " Selena murmered.  
  
"What?"  
  
"He's here, but . . . He doesn't know, and there's a very good reason for that."  
  
Miyako stared at her sister, confused.  
  
"I'm sorry, Miyako," Selena started. "At the battle yesterday, he got hurt."  
  
~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~  
  
"I'm sorry to tell you this," May said, snapping Miyako out of her thoughts. "He may not make it. We're in a sticky situation here."  
  
"What happened?" Miyako asked, her voice trembling. Tears were threatening to spill out. For what, Miyako didn't know. She told herself over and over again that she didn't love him. 'It's shock, that's all . . . " she tried to assure herself.  
  
"The enemy was losing-" May started.  
  
"I thought so, did he win, though?"  
  
May raised an eye-brow and look towards Selena and Misty. Misty just rolled her eyes. Selena and Misty knew about the empress's feelings, even though Miyako won't admit them to herself.  
  
Since neither of the girls would give her no sign of what to say, May decided to go along with the truth.  
  
"Yes, my empress. King Draco had to go back and finish the battle when he found out that they were planning to burn down the castle and Straydes if they won."  
  
"Well, how did he get hurt?"  
  
"As I was saying, when the enemy started losing, the opposing army had back up soldiers who were hidden at a near by fort. The King gave them a signal to start shooting posion tipped arrows toward the battle field. As you can see, one got the emperor."  
  
"Where did he get hit?"  
  
"Right below his right shoulder. The poison immediatley entered his bloodstream."  
  
Miyako was silent. She didn't know what to say.  
  
Seeing that the empress was not going to respond, May continued.  
  
"We got the poison out, but some of it was able to reach and damage his heart. We're waiting right now to see if his heart and body can heal itself. We've done all we can."  
  
(A.N. Does none of this make sense? Probably doesn't, I pulling crap out of the top of my head)  
  
"Errr, your highness, if you don't mind me saying so . . . " May's voice trailed off as Miyako looked at her.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You really should feed your child now."  
  
Miyako stared at her for a second. Then, she nodded and May led her out of the room.  
  
~ * ~ * ~  
  
"When's he going to wake up?" Miyako asked later on that day.  
  
"We don't know."  
  
"How long has he been like this again?" the empress asked.   
  
Miyako still couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. All day she hadn't shed a tear, but the only reason for that was because she willed herself not to cry. This took a lot of willpower.  
  
Every second, she felt like just breaking down and crying. Because of this, her throat was hurting her because she always felt choked up. Sometimes, when she really felt threatened that the tears would spill, she would hold her breath.  
  
The whole day had passed with her holding her breath every ten seconds. So, as a result of that, her stomach was now hurting her just as much as her choked up throat.  
  
"Your highness?"  
  
May's voice snapped Miyako back into reality.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Think of me, right now, not just as a healer, but also as a mother (A.N. to anybody in my class who's reading this: yes, i got that from the book)," May said. "It will hurt less if you let your tears flow."  
  
"Thank you for the advice." Miyako replied in a choked up, raspy voice.  
  
Without saying another word, the empress turned around and left the room. She wandered around the palace for a few minutes until she finally found herself infront of the door which led to the emperor's study.  
  
Miyako opened the door and stepped inside. She looked around and realized that she wasn't in here very often. Most of the time, she liked to stay away from here.  
  
In Miyako's mind, this was the room where the plan for her family's death began. The empress knew that this was a very ridiculous reason to hate a room, but she never felt comfortable in here.  
  
This was the room where he planned all of his battles and attacks. She realized that he was in here a lot. Was attacking innocent villiages his favourite hobby? Aside from beating up on one of his own soldiers.  
  
The empress smiled slightly with mirth. He called it a small "play fight." Just to make sure he doesn't get rusty.  
  
At least that's what he'd told her. But, she'd always noticed how he'd always have a "small" and "harmless" play fight with his soldiers whenever he was totally angered about something.  
  
Miyako looked around the room. There was shelf of books that covered one wall. A wooden desk was against the wall to her right. A sofa extended from one end of the other wall to the other end. It was dark blue with a few pillows which were a light shade of bluw. A long wooden table sat a few feet away from the sofa. The carpet was a light blue. Beside the desk, there was another door.  
  
Miyako knew that it lead to the library.  
  
She closed the door and walked in. She lay down on the sofa. Her own room was on the fourth floor. She didn't feel like walking up another flight of stairs.  
  
She stared at a necklace that she was wearing. It was pure gold with five rubies. The maid who had carried it up to her had told her that it was an arly wedding present from the emperor.  
  
Miyako's vision started to get blurry with tears. They were soon running down her cheeks as she cried herself to sleep.  
  
The End of Chapter 3  
  
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A/N: Gods, this thing was only supposed to be three chapters long. Oh, well. So much for that. R&R, the more reviews I get, the faster I update. You know the drill!!! No chapter four until I get 15 reviews!!!  
  
- Rose  
  
P.S. I'M NOT JOKING AND I DON'T PLAN ON BEING NICE!!!!!!!! 


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note:   
  
Rose: . . . THINGS SHE SAID/MOTHER, LOOKING AT ME/TELL ME, WHAT DO YOU SEE/YES, I'VE LOST MY MIND/DADDY, LOOKIN' AT ME/WILL I EVER BE FREE?/HAVE I CROSSED THE LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE??  
  
Primose- YES, U HAVE, NOW SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!  
  
i don't own digimon.  
  
- Rose   
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Straydes Part 10 of Chapter 5  
  
As the emperor snapped his eyes wide open, the first thing he saw were three lines of orbs. Orbs of blinding lights. Cursing silently to himself, he shut his eyes again. He opened them again, but only slightly this time. After adjusting to the light, he opened his eyes again.  
  
The lights were coming from the three lines of candles which lined the walls of the hospital part of the castle.  
  
He became aware of a dull ache in his shoulder. He tried to move his arm. All of a sudden, a pain shot up through his arm. He bit his lower lip to keep from crying out.  
  
"What the hell am I doing here?!" he asked to no one in particular. The room was totally empty.  
  
The door shot open and May walked in. She looked surprised, then smiled softly to herself.  
  
"You're awake," she said.  
  
"What happened?" Ken asked.  
  
"Well, to start things off, you won the war. You got shot with a poisoned arrow and were unconcious for the past three days."  
  
Ken stared at her. "Anything else?" he asked, dryly.  
  
May paused. "Yes, but I'm not the one to tell you."  
  
A momment passed in silence. Then, May spoke.  
  
"She was really worried about you." she said, softly.  
  
Ken turned to her and raised an eye-brow.  
  
"She cried very much . . . " May continued.  
  
Ken stared at May for a moment before asking, "Where is-?"  
  
He was cut off because the door swung open. "Is he awake yet?" Miyako hadn't noticed that his eyes were open.  
  
"Yes," May answered. "I'll leave you two alone, now." May walked out, slightly smiling to herself.  
  
~~~  
  
"What are you doing here?!" May asked.   
  
Selena, Sara and Misty were standing outside the door. Before Misty could open her mouth to reply, May felt someone tap her on her shoulder. She turned around and came face-to-face with Pansy.  
  
"I called them here. You can stay if you'd like, but if you're a thorn in the side, I will throw you to the other side of the castle. Got it?" the queen asked. She smirked at Misty, who grinned right back.  
  
"What're you going to do?" May asked.  
  
"We're going to spy on them. What did you think we're going to do?" Selena asked.  
  
"But, you can't spy on them."  
  
"Watch us."  
  
"Oh, you three are sick. I'm leaving!" With that, May stomped off.  
  
"Okkaaaaaayyyyyy . . . " Sara muttered.  
  
Pansy shrugged. "What're you going to do?" she asked, lazily. "That woman has just gotten too old for anything." Laughing softly, she pulled out her wand.  
  
"What're you doing?" Sara asked.  
  
Pansy just smiled. She tapped the door so softly that they could barely hear and then she murmered a few words in latin.   
  
Then, clear as day, they could hear voices. Putting away her wand, Pansy smiled at the three woman who were giving her awed looks. Once the surprise faded away, the four of them listened.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Miyako had sat down on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?" she asked. Her voice was barely a whisper.  
  
"Fine." Ken could see tears forming in her eyes and he resisted the urge to pull her into a hug and tell her that he was alright and that they'll be a big happy family . . . . But, that just wasn't him.  
  
So, he dropped his gaze and that's when he noticed the shape of her body. She had all her curves back and she was slender again.  
  
"You're not pregnant anymore."  
  
Miyako laughed. It was the first real laugh she had laughed in a long time. "No, I'm not." She said. "I gave birth a few nights ago."  
  
A small smile played across the emperor's lips. "Really? Boy or girl?" he asked.  
  
Miyako hesitated before answering. "It's a girl." She watched his face carefully for any signs of disgust or resentment or anything of the sort.   
  
She found nothing.  
  
"Did you name her yet?" he asked after a moment of silence.  
  
"I wanted to name her Audacia, but I had to wait and see if it were all right with you," Miyako answered.  
  
"Audacia is a beautiful name." He smiled.  
  
A few minutes passed in silence. Then, Ken spoke.  
  
"Did you miss me?"  
  
Miyako looked a bit startled. Then, she nodded and started staring at the floor. Suddenly, she felt the back of his hand on her neck.  
  
"You hate me, don't you?"  
  
"Why would you think that?" she asked.  
  
"I ruined your life."  
  
Miyako pondered this for a momment. He was making it hard, especially when he was caressing her neck.  
  
Then she turned and looked him right in the eye. "Why?"  
  
"Why what?"  
  
"You attacked my village, murdered my family and kidnapped me along with other women. That seemed like something you would do. I could almost understand that. But, I wasn't special back then. I was no different from any of the others . . . " She had raised her voice a little as she said all of this. "But, then you had to force me, me of all people, to marry you. Why?"  
  
"I just had a feeling . . . I had to have you . . . " He fingers were running through her hair now. All of a sudden he sat up. Miyako looked surprised, but she didn't move.  
  
"Do you think it's possible to learn to love someone?" he asked.  
  
This question caught Miyako off guard. "What?"  
  
"Do you think it's possible to learn to love someone?" he repeated.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I learned to love you . . . "  
  
With that she broke down crying. Ken stared for a moment, but then he reached out wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She was crying against his chest, but he didn't mind. Instead, he kissed the top of her head and held her until she stopped crying.  
  
~~~  
  
Pansy took out her wand, tapped it against the door and muttered a few more latin words. They couldn't hear what was going on inside the room anymore.  
  
Misty sighed and then smiled. "I guess they'll be happier from now on."  
  
Pansy smiled. "I believe they will."  
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~   
  
Ken got out of the hospital after a few days. He loved his daughter, he thought she was very pretty and was not sexist about it being a girl. But, even though, he was very happy with her, Miyako gave birth to two more boys.  
  
Ash and Misty got married and had twins, named Adam and Marina.  
  
Pansy later gave birth to a girl, who she named Zinnia.  
  
The End  
  
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A.N. Oh my God, it's finally over!!! (Starts crying) Waaaaahhhhhhh!!!!! (sniffs) Please review . . . (goes back to crying in joy and sadness) (huh?)  
  
- Rose 


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